Southern districts continue to wait for desalination plants

While Ramanathapuram district officials are facing difficulties in land acquisition, their counterparts at Thoothukudi are far from reaching even there. 

Pointing out the depleting groundwater table, which was further hit by the absence of summer rains this season, the public and industry representatives say desalination is the way forward to ensure availability of water around the year. However, while the capital Chennai has two plants supplying water and more in the pipeline, the southern districts are left in the lurch by the administration, they alleged.

In fact, way back in 2007, the All India Chamber of Commerce and Industries (AICCI), Thoothukudi, had submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister’s Special Cell urging the government to set up a seawater desalination plant in the district, said JP Joe Villavarayar, former president of the chamber. The organisation had sought soft loans from the government to set it up, which would help not only industries but the people as well. In 2013, the then chief minister J Jayalalithaa had announced setting up of 100 mld desalination plants at Alanthalai in Thoothukudi and Kuthiraimozhi in Ramanathapuram. But there is no sign of them even after so many years, said Joe Villavarayar.

Recalling the case of an agro-based industry in Thoothukudi that was forced to wind up due to severe water shortage, T Johnson, district president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the organisation had raised the matter during its maiden meeting with Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi.

When contacted, Thoothukudi Collector Sandeep Nanduri told DT Next that stakeholders meeting was convened before the Lok Sabha and officials from the Tamil Nadu Water Investment Company had assessed the requirements for a 60 MLD desalination plant proposed to be set up between Tharuvaikulam and Vembar coast. The project is at advanced stage now, the Collector said.

According to Ramanathapuram Collector K Veera Raghava Rao, the Government Order for a 60 MLD plant at Kuthiraimozhi, proposed at a cost of Rs 700 crore, was already issued. The government was in the process of acquiring 16 acre of land earmarked for the project to be executed by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board. However, there were bottlenecks as a portion of the land was encroached upon, he said, assuring that they would be removed soon.

Commenting on the technology, AE Muthunayagam, former secretary, Department of Ocean Development, Government of India, said seawater desalination was energy intensive. This, however, could be addressed by solar power generation, which would drastically bring down the cost of production, he pointed out.