CHENNAI: After wooing Rs 6.6 lakh crore worth investments during the Global Investors Meet, the industries department is looking at desalination plants and treated grey water to ensure that the industries get sufficient water.
Sipcot managing director K Senthil Raj told TNIE, "We have identified five places to set up desalination and sewage treatment plants which will generate around 50 million litres per day (MLD). These include Tharuvaikulam in Thoothukudi (15MLD desalination plant), Ramayanpatty in Tirunelveli (9MLD tertiary treated reverse osmosis plant); Avaniapuram in Madurai (5MLD TTRO plant); Sakkimangalam in Madurai (3MLD) and Panjappur in Tiruchy (5MLD)."
State Industries Promotion Corporation managing director K Senthil Raj said, "We wanted to conserve freshwater from reservoirs and groundwater. Most urban regions in Tamil Nadu are heavily dependent on groundwater for residential, commercial and industrial use due to the lack of perennial surface water resources. Severe exploitation of groundwater and depletion in supplies from such sources is a cause for concern."
Sipcot has identified potential water reuse belts for its proposed/existing industrial parks and is planning to have a comprehensive approach by integrating all resources as recycled water use girds. This has been done after a study by Tamil Nadu Water Investment Company for identifying suitable system for reuse of recycled water from the sewage treatment plants of urban local bodies to cater for Sipcot industrial parks.
Tamil Nadu is one of the most water-stressed states having per capita availability of 900 cubic meter water a year, compared to national average of 1,486 cubic meters, according to draft Sustainable Land Use Policy for Tamil Nadu. Sources said total water demand in the state, for domestic, irrigation, livestock and industrial needs, is 1,867.85 tmcft a year, while total availability from all resources is only 1,681.78 tmcft.
It may be noted that Sipcot started using treated water for industries four years ago from Koyambedu. Earlier, it was dependent on Chembarambakkam lake to supply water to industrial parks in Irungattukottai, Sriperumbudur, Oragadam, Pillaipakkam and Vallam Vadagal.
Sipcot has now requested Chennai Metro Water to consider the proposal of supplying TTRO water for an ultimate requirement of 16 MLD from Oragadam Industrial Park (Extension of Koyambedu reuse grid) for Cheyyar Industrial Park (7.80 mld) and 8.2 mld for the proposed park at Melma.
Separately, the supply of TTRO water is also proposed to be extended to the existing /proposed parks in the Gummidipoondi corridor -- Gummidipoondi, Manallur, Thervoykandigai. Metro water has been requested by Sipcot to prepare a detailed project report for providing a dedicated TTRO water conveyance system having 22.70 mld.
Last year, Chief Minister M K Stalin laid stone for the `187.20 crore TTRO facility, which would have a 20 mld capacity and provide treated water from Kelavarapalli dam to Sipcot parks and other businesses. As many as 800 industrial units would benefit from the TTRO plant.