Desalination plants: ‘make a beginning with Vizag’

The government has plans to set up desalination plants in the coastal belt in collaboration with Israeli company IDE Technologies to overcome drinking water shortage in the State.

IDE Technologies Deputy CEO Lizi Torenstine and other officials called on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday who stressed the need for utilising only desalinated water for industrial purpose.

He, however, said there should be provision to upgrade the plant to meet drinking water requirements as well. Idea was to ensure not a single drop of water goes waste. “Israel is totally dependent on desalination to meet its water requirements,” he said.

Mr. Jagan asked the Israeli firm to conduct a study to identify suitable places in the State. The process can be kick-started from Visakhapatnam and later other areas can be covered. Vizag Steel Plant can use desalinated water, he added.

An action plan has to be prepared to ensure that all thermal plants use desalinated water, he said.

Huge presence

The company officials were all praise for the Chief Minister for making efforts to solve drinking water shortage in the State and said Israel had started a commercial desalination plant in 1964. The services of IDE Technologies were being utilised by 40 countries across the world. It has been working in India for the past 25 years and providing services to corporate entities such as Essar and Reliance.

Mr. Jagan at a review meeting on the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) recently said desalinated water can be used for industrial purposes. It costs 57 cents for 1,000 litres which works out to 4 paise per litre, he said.

The Chief Minister had visited the H2ID desalination facility at Hadera in Israel in August last. The plant authorities had made a presentation on the desalination mechanism and the costs associated with the project.