Metrowater to charge for desal water supply

According to a Metrowater official, the board has plans to implement the system once the proposed desalination plant in Perur off East Coast Road start functioning. After brought into operation, the Perur desalination plant would produce 400 million litres per day (MLD).

“Once the works for desalination plant completed, we are planning to provide piped water supply across to all the households in the city. However, during the first phase, piped water will be provided to areas which will be covered by the Perur desalination plant,” he added.

Water produced from the Perur plant would be supplied to parts of Chennai, apart from suburban areas like Tambaram, Pallavaram, Madambakkam, Sembakkam, Chitlapakkam, Mangadu, Perungalathur and others.

The water manager had already begun civic works to implement 24X7 water supply to households in T Nagar under Smart City Mission. “We take T Nagar project as a pilot, based on which 24X7 water supply scheme will be implemented throughout the city. We will install water meters in every house to measure the amount of water used by the residents. Charges will be collected according to usage,” the official explained.

As a part of the 24X7 water supply scheme, the Metrowater also mulls to replace old pipelines with new pipelines. The residents would have to not only pay for the desalinated water but also for the water drawn from lakes.

Metrowater is operating twodesalination plants each with 100 million litres per day (MLD) in Nemmeli and Minjur and construction works for 150 MLD desalination plant in Nemmeli has been started. The cost of generating 1,000 litres of water from desalination plants is about Rs 40 to Rs 50.