TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER IN PRILEP FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH ASPECT

Abstract

Wastewater is any water that has changed its original physicochemical and microbiological characteristics due to its use in settlements, industry, street washing, washing of agricultural lands and from atmospheric precipitation. All municipal wastewater in Prilep is collected through a partially separated sewage network (fecal and atmospheric) and discharged into the recipient Prilep river through a common main collector. Due to wastewater pollution and  potential public health risk as well as according to a feasibility study, the construction of UWWTP Prilep (Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant) (purification station for communal wastewater) was required.

In the period 2018-2022, to assess public health risk the Prilep Public Health Center took wastewater samples before treatment and after treatment for physico-chemical and microbiological analysis.

The purification process in PSKOV Prilep of municipal wastewater takes place in 3 consecutive steps: pre-treatment, primary treatment and secondary treatment of wastewater. In the period 2018-2022, 80 physicochemical and microbiological analyses of municipal wastewater were performed at the Public Health Center-Prilep.

The findings have indicated that after treatment, municipal wastewater meets the criteria of the Rulebook on the conditions, method and emission limit values for wastewater discharge after its treatment, the method of their calculation, taking into account the special requirements for the protection zones (Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia no. 81/2011).