PUDUCHERRY: The Territorial government is taking efforts to set up a de-salination plant at Kalapet with a capacity for generating 30 million litres as per plan by availing of funds from the Centre or in the private-public partnership module by getting approval from the Centre, the Chief Minister N Rangasamy said on Monday.
Replying to a call attention motion tabled by P M L Kalyanasundaram on the sufferings of the people due to shortage of drinking water in Kalapet constituency, Rangasamy said the plan for the desalination plant was drawn up in 2012 by the PWD. An expert committee then examined it and gave its report.
According to the report, the cost of producing water by converting the sea water into potable water was 10 times more than that produced through borewells as of now. While water is produced at `5 per unit for domestic supply, production through desalination would cost `50 per unit. At present ,water charges are collected at the rate of 50 paise per unit for domestic supply. Besides, the government would have to get permission from the Tamil Nadu government for laying pipes in intermittent areas for supplying water to coastal and town areas of Puducherry , he said.