RAMANATHAPURAM
After Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation, India’s largest petrochemical company, has come forward to address the drinking water woes of people in the drought-prone district as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.
The IOC, which has proposed to lay a pipeline from Ennore in north Chennai to Thoothukudi, cutting across 26 villages in the district for carrying liquefied gas, had offered to renovate 100 waterbodies and instal Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants at these villages, official sources here told The Hindu .
In a recent communication sent to the district administration, the IOC wanted to ensure that these villages did not come under Coastal Regulation Zone, the sources said, adding the 26 villages, however, would be identified only after IOC submitted a detailed plan.
Ahead of implementing the pipeline project, the IOC wanted to renovate the waterbodies and instal the RO plants, apparently to earn the goodwill of the villagers and avoid any possible conflict, the sources said.
The petrochemical major is laying the pipeline for supplying liquefied gas to Sothern Petrochemical Industries Corporation (SPIC) and Sterlite Industries in Thoothukudi.
The sources said Ramanathapuram district administration had sent the proposal for renovating the waterbodies on an outlay of ₹25 lakh and would soon send the proposal for setting up the RO plants, each at a cost of ₹10 lakh. “The final call on according permission for laying the pipeline would be taken after getting permission from the State government,” the sources added.
The ONGC, which was involved in natural gas exploration and extraction in the district, had offered to set up 15 RO plants at a total cost of ₹1.75 crore. Its board in Chennai had given the approval and the headquarters in Delhi was expected to give its approval next week after an inspection, the sources said.
Tata Trusts too offered to help the district administration address the water crisis by establishing desalination plants. After R. Venkataramanan, Managing Trustee of the Trusts, made this offer during his visit to Valinokkam in April to inaugurate a salt refinery unit, a three-member team arrived here and held talks with officials on May 11. They assured the officials that they would come again on May 30, but they were yet to visit the district, the sources said.
