The quantified analysis of damages to wastewater treatment plants by natural disasters is essential to maintain the stability of wastewater treatment systems. However, studies on the quantified analysis of natural disaster effects on wastewater treatment systems are very rare. In this study, a total disaster index (DI) was developed to quantify the various damages to wastewater treatment systems from natural disasters using two statistical methods (i.e., AHP: analytic hierarchy process and PCA: principal component analysis). Typhoons, heavy rain, and earthquakes are considered as three major natural disasters for the development of the DI. A total of 15 input variables from public open-source data (e.g., statistical yearbook of wastewater treatment system, meteorological data and financial status in local governments) were used for the development of a DI for 199 wastewater treatment plants in Korea. The total DI was calculated from the weighted sum of the disaster indices of the three natural disasters (i.e., TI for typhoon, RI for heavy rain, and EI for earthquake). The three disaster indices of each natural disaster were determined from four components, such as possibility of occurrence and expected damages. The relative weights of the four components to calculate the disaster indices (TI, RI and EI) for each of the three natural disasters were also determined from AHP. PCA was used to determine the relative weights of the input variables to calculate the four components. The relative weights of TI, RI and EI to calculate total DI were determined as 0.547, 0.306, and 0.147 respectively.

In actual seawater desalination plant, the pressure loss due to frictional force of pipe is about 3~5 bar. Also, the pressure loss at pipe connection about 1~3 bar. Therefore, the total pressure loss in the pipe is expected to be about 4~8 bar, which translates into 0.111 to 0.222 kWh/m3 of energy when converted into the Specific Energy Consumption(SEC). Reducing energy consumption is the most important factor in ensuring the economics of seawater desalination processes, but pressure loss in piping is often not considered in plant design. It is difficult to prevent pressure loss due to friction inside the pipe, but pressure loss at the pipe connection can be reduced by proper pipe design. In this study, seawater desalination plant piping analysis was performed using a commercial network program. The pressure loss and SEC for each case were calculated and compared by seawater desalination plant size.

The proper operation and safety management of water and wastewater treatment systems are essential for providing stable water service to the public. However, various natural disasters including floods, large storms, volcano eruptions and earthquakes threaten public water services by causing serious damage to water and wastewater treatment plants and pipeline systems. Korea is known as a country that is relatively safe from earthquakes, but the recent increase in the frequency of earthquakes has increased the need for a proper earthquake management system. Interest in research and the establishment of legal regulations has increased, especially since the large earthquake in Gyeongju in 2016. Currently, earthquakes in Korea are managed by legal regulations and guidelines integrated with other disasters such as floods and large storms. The legal system has long been controlled and relatively well managed, but technical research has made limited progress since it was considered in the past that Korea is safe from earthquake damage. Various technologies, including seismic design and earthquake forecasting, are required to minimize possible damages from earthquakes, so proper research is essential. This paper reviews the current state of technology development and legal management systems to prevent damages and restore water and wastewater treatment systems after earthquakes in Korea and other countries. High technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles, wireless networks and real-time monitoring systems are already being applied to water and wastewater treatment processes, and to further establish the optimal system for earthquake response in water and wastewater treatment facilities, continuous research in connection with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including information and communications technologies, is essential.