CM lays stone for new desal unit at Nemmeli

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami laid the foundation stone for the 150 million litres per day (MLD) capacity desalination plant in Nemmeli near Chennai on Thursday. When completed, expected by the end of 2021, the plant would supply water to the southern parts of the city.

The new desal plant – the third that would cater to the city – is coming up at the same location where already a 100 MLD desalination plant is functioning. The plant would be constructed at a cost of Rs 1,259.38 crore. It would be partly funded by KfW, a State-owned bank from Germany, which will provide Rs 700 crore. The rest would be funded by the Union Urban Affairs Ministry under AMRUT scheme.

“The project will primarily aim at supplying water to residents of south Chennai, particularly in Velachery, Alandur, St Thomas Mount, Medavakkam, Kovilambakkam, Nanmangalam, Keezhkattalai, Moovarasanpettai, Sholinganallur, Ullagaram, Puzhuthivakkam, Madipakkam and Rajiv Gandhi Road. About nine lakh people will be benefitted by the project,” said Palaniswami.

Coming as it does in the midst of a war of words between the AIADMK and the opposition DMK over the prevailing water crisis and the measures that both parties claimed they had initiated, Palaniswami said late leader J Jayalalithaa had announced setting up a desalination plant way back in 2003 to find a long-term solution to meet the drinking requirement of the people of the city. The plant was to be commissioned under the Design, Built, Own, Operate and Transfer (DBOOT) mode.

It was based on this proposal that the first desalination plant of 100 MLD capacity was setup at Minjur in July 2010 (when the DMK was in power), he said. The water from the plant is being supplied to Manali, Madhavaram, Ennore, Kathivakkam, Tiruvottriyur, Tondairpet and Vyasarpadi.

Then another 100 MLD capacity plant was setup in Nemmeli, in February 2013 and water from which is supplied to many areas in south Chennai, including Sholinganallur, Neelankarai, Injambakkam, Karapakkam, Semmancheri, Thoraipakkam, Perungudi, Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Tiruvanmiyur, Velachery, Taramani, Pallipattu, Adyar, Besant Nagar, Nandanam, MRC Nagar, RA Puram and Mylapore.

Addressing the media after inaugurating the plant, Palaniswami said that the plant was constructed to cater to the needs of the expanding population of Chennai. He added that Jayalalithaa had announced setting up of a mega 400 MLD desalination plant in Perur to solve water scarcity permanently.

Asked whether such desalination plants would be setup in other coastal districts, too, Palaniswami said that a study would be undertaken. If there was drought, desalination plants would be setup.

When asked how long would it take to get water from Jolarpet, Palaniswami replied that water would be brought from there in two weeks. The government has allocated Rs 200 crore to handle drought and another Rs 65 crore for bringing in water from Jolarpet, he added.