Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, on Sunday, inaugurated Odisha’s first seawater desalination plant in Ganjam district. The plant, located at Matikhal near Chhatarpur, will use reverse osmosis (RO) to convert seawater into freshwater.
Developed by the Odisha Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), the plant will supply about 4 lakh litres of water daily, benefitting around 7,000 people.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled the plant in March last year from Bhubaneswar.
“The villagers were facing drinking water problems due to the salinity in the groundwater,” he said.
According to Pradhan, this will solve the drinking water problems of two nearby coastal villages, which have been dealing with high groundwater salinity.
The 4.5-mld plant was set up with a total investment of Rs 135 crore, OSCOM Chief CVR Murthy stated, adding that the plant will meet both industrial and potable drinking water needs.
“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,” added.
Officials noted that the technology for the plant was provided by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and funded by the Centre’s Atomic Energy Department.
The district administration constructed the overhead tanks and laid pipes to every household, they said.
Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy has urged IREL to build another such plant to serve more areas, including the town of Chhatrapur. At present, areas like OSCOM, Berhampur University, and Chhatrapur town receive water from the Rushikulya river, and they frequently face water shortages during the peak summer months.
