Va Tech Wabag bags city’s largest 400 MLD desalination project

The ₹4,400-crore project will be implemented with JICA assistance over a period of 42 months and when completed, it will take total desalination capacity of the water board to 750 MLD; it is expected to enhance the water security of the city

Va Tech Wabag, a Chennai-based multinational corporation in the field of water treatment and desalination, has secured a design, build, operate (DBO) order, for the 400 million litres per day (MLD) Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) desalination project from Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).

The project, estimated at ₹4,400 crore, is scheduled to be executed as a joint venture with Metito Overseas Ltd.

The company said in a statement this was a landmark project for Chennai and India as it will be the largest desalination plant in the southeast Asian region. This project, which is being funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will enhance the water security for Chennai through a stable source of drinking water. With its completion, Chennai will have a total capacity to produce 750 MLD of desalinated water.

This DBO order includes the scope of design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of the 400 MLD SWRO desalination plant and the associated seawater intake system over a period of 42 months followed by 20 years of Operation and Maintenance (O&M).

The desalination process will include lamella clarifiers, dissolved air flotation system, gravity dual media filters followed by reverse osmosis and re-mineralisation to produce clean drinking water which will be distributed by the CMWSSB to the residents of south Chennai.

Shailesh Kumar, CEO–India Cluster, in a statement was quoted as saying, “The project when completed will not only be a landmark project for Wabag, but a testament to Tamil Nadu’s commitment to building Water security for Chennai and the State, making it a model for the whole country.”