Odisha gets first seawater desalination plant

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday inaugurated Odisha's first seawater desalination plant in Ganjam district.

The plant, at Matikhal near Chhatarpur, will convert seawater into freshwater using reverse osmosis (RO). It has been developed by the Odisha Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL).

Around 4 lakh litres of water will be supplied from the plant every day, benefitting around 7,000 people.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the plant in March last year from Bhubaneswar.

Pradhan said that with the operationalisation of the plant, the water problems of two seashore villages will be solved.

"The villagers were facing drinking water problems due to the salinity in the groundwater," he said.

A total of Rs 135 crore was invested to set up the 4.5-mld plant to meet the industrial and potable drinking water requirements, OSCOM chief CVR Murthy said.

Water will also be provided to OSCOM employees, along with the nearby villages, he said.

"While OSCOM will utilise 1.5 mld water from the plant, it will supply 1.5 mld to villages. Another 1.5 mld will be kept as reserve for utilisation during an emergency," he added.

Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has provided the technology for desalination of the seawater, and the Centre's Atomic Energy Department has provided the funds, officials said.

The district administration constructed the overhead tanks and laid pipes to every household, they said.

Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy urged the IREL to set up another such plant to serve more areas, including Chhatrapur town.

At present, water is supplied to OSCOM, Berhampur University and Chhatrapur town from the Rushikulya river.

During peak summer, these areas reel under a water crisis as the supply gets reduced. PTI CORR AAM AAM SOM

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