Chennai’s fourth desalination plant at Perur expected to be commissioned by September

The fourth desalination plant coming up at Perur along the East Coast Road with a capacity to treat 400 million litres a day (mld) of seawater is expected to begin trial commissioning by September this year.

With an aim to meet the drinking water needs of nearly 22.67 lakh residents and strengthening drought resilience, nearly 62% of the seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant has been completed so far. The ₹6,078.40-crore plant will feature two streams of 200 mld each, ensuring a continuous production capacity of 200 mld at any given time, said officials of Chennai Metrowater.

On Wednesday, Municipal Administration Minister K.N. Nehru inspected the ongoing work at the plant, which is being implemented with the financial assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Work to link the seawater drawal pipeline with the caisson structure built for effective collection and processing of seawater is being carried out. The project also involved laying of two pipelines measuring 2,500 mm in diameter and sunk at a depth of 10 metre to bring seawater to the plant. Another pipeline has been laid for a length of 756 metre to discharge brine into the sea.

Simultaneously, work is being executed to construct a pumping station and storage facilities at Perur and also lay a major pipeline for 59 km from the plant till Porur to distribute drinking water.

Among the various components that are being built at the plant, units such as dissolved air flotation and dual media filter have been introduced to remove suspended solids and algae as part of pre-treatment process, said officials.

Mr. Nehru instructed officials to expedite work to implement a round-the-clock piped water supply in the Adyar zone. Chennai Metrowater Managing Director T.G. Vinay and senior officials were also present.

At present, Metrowater is providing 1,230 mld of drinking water to the city. Once the plant is commissioned, residents of the Greater Chennai Corporation, Tambaram municipal corporation, and 20 local bodies on the city’s outskirts would be supplied with drinking water.

Measures have been taken to address environmental concerns through safe disposal of the reject water through diffusers into the sea and energy-efficient operation. Moreover, marine life would be protected by using low intake velocities and screening systems. Periodical monitoring would be done to comply with environmental and coastal regulations. Nearly 170 fishermen families are being provided with monthly compensation to protect their livelihood, sources said.