CHENNAI: Municipal Administration Minister KN Nehru on Wednesday inspected the construction of the 400 million litres a day (MLD) desalination plant being set up at Perur by the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board at a cost of Rs 6,078.40 crore. The project is being developed with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Metro Water board’s Managing Director TG Vinay told DT Next that around 60% of the work has been completed and the plant is expected to be commissioned by March 2027.
Construction is progressing across key components, including seawater intake structures, lamella clarifiers, dissolved air flotation units, gravity dual media filters and reverse osmosis buildings. Supporting infrastructure such as the neutralisation pit, sludge thickener and limestone filters is also taking shape.
Offshore works have reached major milestones with the installation of 2,500 mm diameter HDPE pipes beneath the seabed, comprising two seawater intake pipelines of 1,140 m and 1,150 m and a 756 m brine outlet pipeline. The seawater intake tower has been completed, and preparatory work is under way to connect the final offshore pipe sections to the main facility.
To enable distribution, a 59-km pipeline is being laid from Perur to Porur. So far, 19.5 km of 2,000 mm and 1,800 mm diameter pipes have been delivered, and 4.1 km has been laid. Upgrades at the Pallipattu and Tiruvanmiyur pumping stations in the Adyar zone are also going on.
Once commissioned, the project is expected to benefit around 22.67 lakh people across Greater Chennai Corporation, Tambaram and 20 neighbouring panchayats. At present, the CMWSSB supplies 1,230 MLD of water sourced from lakes and Nemmeli desalination plant.