CHENNAI: In the next four years, 65% of Chennai’s water requirement will be met by desalination plants, with the government setting up two more such plants with a combined capacity of 550 MLD (million litres per day). This would reduce stress on natural resources like lakes as well as ground water, according to Harminder Singh, Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply.
Singh said Chennai requires 1,200 MLD of water, of which only 800 MLD is realised. Currently, the drought-like situation has reduced the supply by half. The State has already two desalination plants at Minjur and Nemmeli, having a capacity of 100 MLD each. It is learnt that work on one of the proposed 150 MLD desalination plant, also at Nemmeli, has begun. V Vishnu, executive director, Metrowater, told Express on the sidelines of the 4th Indian German Water Partnership Day, that tenders were floated on September 15.
The project is likely to benefit nine lakh people in southern and central parts of Chennai. The new desalination plant is being funded by German investment agency KFw. The plant is being built on 10 acres and the tender was delayed due to Goods and Services Tax (GST) issues. The other 400 MLD desalination plant, which would be one of the biggest plants in the world, is being funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency at Perur in Thiruporur taluk in Kancheepuram district.
State to create Rs 500 cr corpus to rejuvenate water bodies
Chennai: The State government is working on a proposal to create a S500 cr corpus with the help of private industry, using Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds, to revive the water bodies in the city, said Harminder Singh, secretary of Tamil Nadu Municipal Administration and Water Supply, on Tuesday. He was speaking at the 4th Indian German Water Partnership Day.
He said there are around 250 industries in the city and if each contributes S1 crore and above, it would generate a fund of S250 cr and the government is willing to pool in an equivalent sum that would create a corpus of S500 crore. “Usually, we receive proposals from individual industries for carrying isolated works using their CSR funds. Instead, we propose to create a corpus that can be used to make a bigger impact.” Singh said the State along with the Centre is investing S20,000 cr to upgrade water supply and sewerage infrastructure.