CHENNAI: The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will be installing reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plants in seven drought-hit villages of Ramanathapuram district, which are vulnerable to drinking water crises, at a cost of Rs 96.11 lakh as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
The seven villages are SP Pattinam (Thiruvadanai block), Vennatoor (Ramanathapuram block), Pothikulam (Kadaladi block), Kolunthurai (Mudukulathur block), Regunathapuram (Thirupullani block), Kanjirankudi (Thirupullani block) and Landai (Thirupullani block).In the first phase, two plants each at SP Pattinam and Kolunthurai were inaugurated by K Veera Raghava Rao, District Collector, Ramanathapuram, at a function at S.P.Pattinam on Tuesday, according to a release from ONGC – Cauvery Basin, Chennai.
This project inauguration formed part of the ongoing Swachhta Fortnight being observed by the ONGC from July 1 to 15. The plants in the remaining five villages will be commissioned soon. The project is being implemented by the district administration through the Central Salt and Marine Chemical Institute, Gujarat.
Ramanathapuram is one of the ‘aspirational districts’ identified by NITI Aayog for bringing improvement in various socioeconomic indices of the district. ONGC, through its CSR, is partnering with the district administration in this endeavour.