Chennai: TN CM M K Stalin lays foundation stone for Rs 4,276 cr desalination plant

Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin laid the foundation stone here on Monday for a 400 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) desalination plant, set to be the biggest in south east Asia.

The Rs 4,276.44 crore plant is to be set up with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). To cater to the growing need for drinking water, steps have been taken by the state government to set up a 400 MLD plant at Perur on East Coast Road in Chengalpattu district, an official release said, adding, “This plant will be the biggest in Southeast Asia. Work to establish the plant will be completed before December 2026.”

The desalination plant will use technologically advanced water treatment systems such as dissolved air flotation and dual media filtration. The proposed new plant would benefit 22.67 lakh people living in localities under the Greater Chennai and Tambaram municipal corporations, apart from 20 village panchayats near Chennai city. The government also reported on the status of other such plants. It said that work is on to set up a 150 MLD additional facility at the Nemmeli desalination plant. Once it is completed, which is expected soon, the plant’s enhanced capacity would help cater to the needs of about nine lakh more people in areas including St Thomas Mount, Alandur, Pallavaram, Madipakkam, Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam and Velachery.

Presently, the 100 MLD capacity Nemmeli plant is supplying water to nine lakh people in areas including Neelangarai, Injambakkam, Tiruvanmiyur, RA Puram, MRC Nagar, Nandanam and Adyar. In addition, the 100 MLD Meenjur plant is catering to the drinking water needs of about 10 lakh people in north Chennai areas such as Tiruvotriyur and Vyasarpadi. Minister for Municipal Administration K N Nehru, Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena and senior officials took part in the event.