Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on 24 February, 2024 inaugurated a desalination plant at Nemmeli near Chennai. The plant worth Rs 1,517 crore, with a capacity of 150 MLD, would serve the drinking water needs of nine lakh residents across several locations in the city.
The water produced from the new desalination plant will be supplied to the southern parts of Chennai Metropolitan Area viz. Velachery, Alandur, St. Thomas Mount, Tambaram, Medavakkam, Kovilambakkam, Nanmangalam, Keezhlkattalai, Moovarasampettai, Sholinganallur, Ullagaram, Puzhuthivakkam, Madipakkam and IT corridor areas. The plant has been implemented under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme and financial assistance from KfW Development Bank.
The first desalination plant with a capacity of 100 MLD was commissioned at Minjur in 2010, and has been serving the drinking water needs of about 10 lakh residents in the northern part of Chennai. Another desalination plant with a capacity of 100 MLD, constructed with full financial assistance from the government, was commissioned at Nemmeli in 2013. The state government is also implementing a 400 MLD desalination plant at a cost of Rs 4,276 crore at Perur near Chennai.
This plant is expected to be commissioned by December 2026 and 23 lakh residents will be served through this project, which will be one of the largest desalination projects in South-east Asia. The government has been at the forefront of building desalination units, which have helped address drinking water shortage issues in the state. The Nemmeli project is expected to help bridge gaps and also meet future demand.
