Chennai Metrowater initiates steps to improve production capacity in Minjur desalination plant

Chennai Metrowater addresses water shortage by boosting production at Minjur desalination plant and improving distribution network.

In a bid to address the dwindling water supply from Minjur desalination plant, Chennai Metrowater has initiated measures to improve production capacity in the facility and boost supply to north Chennai.

The plant, which has a capacity to treat 100 million litres a day, is now producing only 25 mld as on Saturday. Officials said the water agency was now mulling over the possibility of taking over operation of the plant and boosting production to its original capacity.

Among the city’s three desalination plants, the first one in Minjur was built on design, build, own, operate and transfer basis in 2010. The facility caters to nearly 12 lakh residents of north Chennai areas falling under Madhavaram, Manali and Tiruvottiyur zones.

It may be recalled that the water agency had entered into a bulk water purchase agreement with Chennai Water Desalination Limited, a consortium company of IVRCL Infrastructures Limited and Befesa, Spain.

Officials noted that the production in the facility had steadily declined over the past one year owing to internal issues of the company, operating the facility. Options, including serving notice to the company on the drop in water supply and initiating a study to assess the factors affecting the operation of the plant, are under scrutiny to rectify the flaws and augment the daily water distribution.

To bridge the gap in supply to north Chennai, the water agency now diverts 15 mld of water from Red Hills reservoir to the existing distribution network. The three zones in north Chennai have a water demand of 40 mld.

Metrowater will soon call for bids to lay a dedicated six-km pipeline from Red Hills reservoir to Madhavaram booster station where treated water would be stored and sent to various localities in north Chennai. This pipeline would have a carrying capacity of 23 mld and the ₹40-crore project would begin in January.