German fin body coming on October 5

Chennai: Germany’s KfW Mission officials will be visiting the city on October 5 to finalise funding for setting up the third desalination plant at Nemmeli on East Coast Road to provide much needed water security to the city.

The 150-million litres a day capacity plant will come up on the available vacant land next to the existing 100 MLD plant at an estimated cost of Rs 1,371.86 crore. In view of the depleting levels of reservoirs, the main sources of water supply to Chennai city, the state government has fast tracked the work on proposed desalination plant.

Following the letter written by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to the Union government to expedite the process of funding for the project, the Union finance ministry’s department of economic affairs sent the proposal to the Germany’s funding agency KfW last week, government sources said.

The projected drinking water demand by 2017 is 1,584 MLD, whereas the supply from present sources is 831 MLD only. At present two 100 MLD desalination plants are functioning in Minjur and Nemmeli. Jayalalithaa sought centre’s assistance for executing 150 MLD Nemmeli project and 400 MLD plant at Perur at a cost of '4,070 crore.

The project is likely to be implemented within 30 months from the date of award of contract. The proposed plant will use latest technology to remove turbidity, suspended solids and dissolved solids present in the raw sea water.

Once completed, the water from the desalination plant will serve nine lakh population in Southern and Central parts of Chennai city. The areas that will benefit from the project are Sholinganallur, IT Sector and industries in OMR and ECR, Velachery, Madipakkam, Ullagaram and Puzhuthivakkam,  St Thomas Mount, Medavakkam, Kovilambakkam, Nanmangalam, Keelkattala, Mylapore and Pallipattu.