A 150-million-litre-a-day desalination plant to convert sea water to drinking water is to come up adjacent to the Nemmeli desalination plant, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announced in the Assembly today.
The additional capacity will come up at a cost of about Rs 1,000 crore on the 10.5-acre vacant plot next to the existing desalination plant which was formally inaugurated in February.
The plant, which is in operation, about 45 km South of Chennai on the East Coast Road, now supplies about 100 million litres of fresh water daily.
The additional capacity will supply drinking water to over 6.46 lakh residents in the suburbs to the South of Chennai which were added to the City Corporation limits.
A 200-million-litre-a-day desalination plant will also be established at Pattipulam to the South of Chennai with provision to expand to 400 million litres. This unit will be set up within four years, she said.
The expanded portions of the city will also get over 225 km length of integrated roads at a cost of Rs 290 crore, 1.10 lakh energy efficient street lights at a cost of Rs 300 crore, and sewerage treatment plants at a cost Rs 121 crore.