CHENNAI: In a move aimed at strengthening its efforts towards sustainability and cutting operational water costs, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) has launched a condensate water recovery and reuse plant at Metro's headquarters in Nandanam.
The initiative, inaugurated by CMRL managing director MA Siddique, is designed to capture and recycle water that would otherwise be lost during the air-conditioning process. The system taps into the condensation generated by 43 air handling units (AHUs) and 29 ceiling-suspended units (CSUs) across the 12-storey office tower to recover an average of 10,000 litres of water a day.
That reclaimed water - roughly a quarter of the building’s total daily consumption - is now being diverted for domestic reuse, reducing reliance on fresh water sources and saving the agency an estimated Rs 6 lakh annually in water charges.
The new condensate recovery system, installed by CMRL’s Electrical and Mechanical Operations and Maintenance wing at a modest cost of Rs 1.5 lakh, is expected to generate 3.65 million litres of water annually.