60% work on Perur desal plant complete: Metrowater

Chennai: Nearly 60% of the work on the 400 million litres a day (MLD) desalination plant at Perur on East Coast Road, next to the existing Nemmeli facility, has been completed, Metrowater officials said on Thursday. Launched in Aug 2023 at a cost of 6,078.40 crore across 65 acres, the project is expected to be operational by March 2027. A senior official said the plant will supply treated water to 22.67 lakh residents within the city limits, Tambaram corporation, surrounding areas, and 20 village panchayats, bolstering drinking water security in the rapidly expanding suburbs. This is the fourth desalination plant being constructed to augment water supply to Chennai and its surroundings.
"Construction is ongoing for the intake structure, outfall tank, dissolved air flotation unit, RO feed tank, RO, chemical, and administrative buildings, limestone filter tank, product water tank, clear water reservoir, sludge thickener, warehouse, workshop, and GIS station," said a Metrowater official.A significant volume of treated water will be pumped through a 54km pipeline to Porur Lake. "Once operational in March 2027, Perur plant — among the region's largest desalination units — will increase Chennai's daily supply from 1,236mld to 1,650mld. This addresses summer shortages and drought risks amid low reservoir levels," the official added.