Decision-making process of partnership in establishing and managing of rural wastewater treatment plants: Using intentional and geographical-spatial location data

Abstract

The construction of rural wastewater treatment plants (RWTPs) is an effective initiative to achieve sustainable water resources, especially in the rural areas situated upstream of the dams where water and waste substances produced by villages are discharged into the wastewater behind the dams. Neither is the initiative feasible to be launched without the partnership of local people. For this reason, we gained insights into the determinants of villagers' desire and intention to have a share in the construction and management of RWTPs and determined the best place to locate the RWTPs using Fuzzy Catastrophe Scheme (FCS). The study benefited from the survey of 180 rural people from two villages situated upstream of Alavian dam, Maragheh Township, northwestern Iran. Using the theory of goal-directed behavior (TGDB) and rational choice theory (RCT), we designed a questionnaire, inclusive of the constructs relevant to the hypothetical relationships. The Cronbach's alpha method and discriminant analysis were used to make sure that indicator variables were consistently loaded with pertinent latent variables. The results of PLS-SEM manifested a proper fitted model with the data. As would be hypothesized, attitude towards participation, PBC, positive emotions had a positive impact on desire, which directly influences the intention to participate in the construction and management of RWTPs. To locate RWTPs as geographically and spatially as possible, we made use of suitability index (SI), formulated by the FCS, the resulting evidence demonstrated that the spatial distribution of SI would be classified into five bands using Jenks' optimization method, northwestern areas located in Bands 1 and 2 were appropriate areas, whereas, western and northwestern areas (in Bands 4-5) were caught sight of being not appropriate areas. The implications delivered in conclusion would be useful for the same cases in other parts of the world and further to stimulate rural people to participate in the construction of RWTPs and locate the best area for setting up the plants.

Keywords: Construction; Partnership; Suitability index; Treatment; Wastewater.