Gujarat decides to go TN, Lakshadweep way to address water woes

Gujarat is planning to go on the lines of Tamil Nadu & Lakshadweep to solve its potable water supply issue. According to a senior official in the state water supply department, a team from Gujarat would soon visit the archipelago state of India, Lakshadweep, to study a pilot desalination plant that has been set up there.

"We are exploring opportunities whereby we can utilise our long coastline to set up desalination plants that will convert seawater into potable water. Lakshadweep has recently set up a desalination project which is producing drinking water for more than 10,000 residents of Kavaratti in Lakshadweep. Tamil Nadu has also replicated the same.", the official said.

National Institute of Ocean Technology, Chennai (NIOT) has undertaken the projects. It is using the low temperature thermal desalination (LTTD) method to process around 1 lakh litres of seawater per day. While in Lakshadweep,NIOT uses seawater, in the Chennai plant, the institute uses warm water discharged from thermal power stations in and around Chennai to produce fresh water using the LTTD method which essentially makes use of temperature difference in the water to generate potable water

Gujarat's current industrial water demand is 145 million litres per day (MLD) while the state government is able to provide only 100 MLD to industries, and simultaneously, demand for drinking water is also on the rise putting pressure on the available resources.

Cost of desalination is estimated at 8-10 paise per litre now. "With a project on a bigger scale, the costs could also come down.", the official said adding that the state government is eying to become self-reliant in water resources by 2030. With a focus on better water management, the state government has already roped in major water management companies like the Jindal