Wastewater treatment plants play a vital role in the symphony of modern civilization. Their importance transcends mere sanitation, impacting the environment, public health, and societal well-being in profound ways. Guheshwori WWTP was established in 2001 as the first phase and its rehabilitation and expansion were completed in 2020. After its reinstatement, the operational challenges have not been yet studied for further improvement. The study aims to identify and assess the operational challenges in this treatment plant. To comprehensively understand the GWWTP operations, a multi-pronged data collection approach was employed. Then qualitative and quantitative data analysis was carried out to identify the operational challenges and their mitigations. The study revealed an overall "good" operational status, indicating consistent compliance with effluent standards and near-continuous operation. The analysis of flow and treatment performance revealed the treatment system typically received less influent than designed, even during wet seasons. The BOD5, COD and TSS removal efficiency is 97.01%, 92.38 and 97.71% respectively which is higher than the design efficiency of the system. However, most of the time the actual generated power (1159.70 KWH) is significantly less than the design power generation. Further analysis of equipment failures revealed recurring issues in pretreatment and sludge handling units, contributing significantly to the overall operational challenges. The operational challenges identified were inconsistent and insufficient raw sewage flow, inconsistent raw sewage characteristics in inflow, frequent failures of pumps and equipment in pretreatment and sludge handling units, the designed power generation not achieved, overall, Power management, Sludge management and designed operational schedule is hardly met by the operator. The major mitigation measures identified are; implementing the regulatory mechanisms for discharge effluent standards for hospitals and industries, regular monitoring and maintenance vi of sewer networks, implementing the periodic maintenance schedule of the WWTP, applying the plant performance improvement plan by the operator, and adapting integrated approach for the effective operation of WWTPs. In conclusion, the operational status and challenges of WWTP can be assessed and mitigating measures can be identified to ensure sustainable and efficient wastewater management.

Keywords

Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), Key Performance Indicator (KPI), Operational Challenges, Failure Mapping, Energy Generation.

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