Engineering and Technology Journal

SWOT-Based Assessment of the Maintenance Management of the Wastewater Treatment Plants in Iraq

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Civil Engineering Dept., University of Technology-Iraq, Alsina’a street, 10066 Baghdad, Iraq.

2 Civil Engineering Dept, Nahrain University, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

In Iraq, due to WWTPs being old and outdated, an evaluation of the maintenance management is needed to highlight the points of weaknesses and strengths of the plants. In this paper, the strength, weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis model is designed with the Delphi Technique and Liker-scale and applied to the old Rustumiya project in Iraq (ORP). The design and application of this model are based on the design, operation and maintenance drawings and reports, and field visits to the ORP. In addition, three rounds of the questionnaire were sent to more than 80 experts varied in qualification and experience, considering the SWOT elements of the methods, materials, and human resources issues. The weight, relative importance, and implementation of each item in each SWOT element and the SWOT elements and issues were computed. The results showed that in the internal elements, the degree of importance of the weakness has a higher value of importance than the strength. In the external elements, the opportunities are considered more important. For the four issues, methods have the lowest weight while the materials have the highest. This alerts the major development required in this sector for a new plan for selecting and preparing maintenance materials. However, human resources come after the materials in terms of importance. The developed SWOT analysis model is beneficial for evaluating WWTPs with simplified and realistic results. Further, it can evaluate other projects like irrigation projects and water treatment plants.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

  • The developed SWOT analysis model is a beneficial tool for evaluating WWTPs.
  • The developed SWOT analysis can evaluate other projects like irrigation projects and water treatment plants.
  • There is a need for new plans for managing human resources development.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References
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Engineering and Technology Journal
Volume 40, Issue 5
Civil Engineering
, 19 Articles
May 2022
Page 677-694
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