Question

Difficulty: MediumInference and Logical Deduction

Read the following passage carefully:

Under the 2026 Sustainable Urban Aquifer Management Policy, municipal water utility boards operating in over-extracted river basins are mandated to divert all treated tertiary wastewater into artificial recharge basins during the monsoon season. However, water utilities that demonstrate a seasonal storage deficit exceeding twenty percent of their annual withdrawal capacity are permitted to sell up to half of their treated tertiary effluent directly to industrial parks, provided that the industrial buyers maintain internal water recycling systems meeting ISO 14064 standards. The policy explicitly prohibits the transfer of untreated or secondary-treated wastewater to industrial entities under any circumstances. Furthermore, any municipal board utilizing artificial recharge basins must conduct bi-weekly heavy metal contamination testing and publish the results on an open-access public portal. If heavy metal concentrations exceed baseline threshold limits for three consecutive testing cycles, all industrial effluent sales within that municipality are automatically suspended until groundwater remediation measures are verified by state environmental inspectors.

Based on the passage above, evaluate whether the following statement is True or False:
'A municipal water utility board operating in an over-extracted river basin with a twenty-five percent seasonal storage deficit is permitted to sell treated tertiary wastewater to an industrial park only if that industrial park adheres to ISO 14064 standards and the municipal board has not recorded heavy metal contamination breaches above baseline limits for three consecutive testing cycles.'

Answer: Answer

Answer

The statement is True. Deductively analyzing the policy requirements, a twenty-five percent deficit satisfies the condition of exceeding twenty percent, enabling conditional effluent sales. However, sales require both ISO 14064 adherence by the industrial buyer and the absence of a three-cycle heavy metal breach that would trigger automatic suspension.
The statement accurately reflects the logical conjunction of requirements in the passage. A 25% deficit qualifies under the 'exceeding twenty percent' rule. The sale is contingent upon ISO 14064 compliance and is subject to automatic suspension if three consecutive heavy metal breaches occur. Therefore, sales are permitted only when both conditions are satisfied.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the deficit threshold condition.
A 25% storage deficit exceeds the required 20% threshold, making the utility eligible for the conditional sale exception.
The passage allows utilities demonstrating a seasonal storage deficit exceeding 20% to sell up to half of their treated tertiary effluent.
2
Examine buyer compliance prerequisites.
The industrial buyer must maintain internal water recycling systems meeting ISO 14064 standards.
The text states 'provided that the industrial buyers maintain internal water recycling systems meeting ISO 14064 standards'.
3
Examine environmental compliance and suspension prerequisites.
Sales cannot proceed if three consecutive heavy metal threshold breaches have occurred.
The text explicitly specifies that three consecutive testing cycles exceeding baseline limits lead to automatic suspension of all industrial effluent sales.
4
Synthesize the logical deduction.
Both ISO 14064 compliance and remaining below the 3-cycle breach limit are mandatory conditions for permissible sales.
Combining the prerequisite clause and the automatic suspension rule confirms that the statement accurately states the necessary conditions.

Key Concept

Logical Deduction of Compound Necessary Conditions in Policy Texts
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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