Chennai Water Desalination Ltd. (CWDL)
Quenching the thirst of Chennaiites- Bringing Seawater to the home
Chennai is one of the metros in India with chronic water problems and is dependent largely on ground water supply. Ground water in Chennai is replenished by rain water and average rainfall in Chennai is 1276 mm. Chennai receives about 985 million liters per day (mld) from various sources against the required amount of 1200 mld and the demand is expected to rise to 2100 mld by 2031. It is astounding that in Chennai alone, nearly a quarter million people lack Metrowater access entirely. Hardly anyone fathoms the extent of the water troubles faced by Chennai?s citizens everyday. Since the water supply sources of Chennai City are dependent on the monsoon rainfall and any failure of the monsoon adversely affects the city water supply. In an effort to alleviate the woes of Chennaiites, Tamil Nadu Government has forged into projects of acquiring fresh water by desalinating sea water.
As Chennai lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, it is in a perfect position to employ a desalination plant. The CMWSS Board opted to set up a desalination plant on DBOOT (Design, Build, Own, Operate and Transfer) basis. The project will help to reduce the gap between the demand and supply of water in the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The first of its kind project in South Asia using reverse osmosis technology, it aims to provide Chennai with a long-term solution to its water scarcity, thus quenching the thirst of millions.
Chennai Water Deslaination Limited was incorporated as a SPV by IVRCL & BEFESA Agua, Spain in August 2005 for undertaking a 100MLD Sea Water Desalination Plant at Minjur, 35 km from Chennai. While IVRCL owns 75% equity stake in CWDL via IWIL, BEFESA holds the remaining 25% stake in the JV. The project was granted to the JV by Chennai Metro Water Supply & Sewerage Board on DBOOT basis for a period of 25 years.. The desalination plant is proposed to complete in two phases. While Phase I envisages water supply of 15 MLD, the same is scheduled to rise by 85 MLD for Phase II, taking the cumulative water supply from the project to 100 MLD.
Despite the extremely high costs, desalination plants possess incredible potential to produce vast quantities of freshwater. With peninsular India?s vast coastline, IVRCL recognizes the immense potential of desalination as a major water source for the country and will spearhead the desalination drive to bring water people and industry in the coastal states as a major contributor to the demand for desalinated water.
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