(a) whether any Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Israel to jointly develop Gal-Mobile, a mobile desalination plant;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) if not, whether the Government plans to import plant and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the manner in which the said technology/plant is likely to help the country in providing safe drinking water?
MINISTER OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)
(a) & (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
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Statement referred to in the reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No.164 due for reply on 27.07.2017
(a) As per the information received from Ministry of External Affairs, no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by Government of India with Government of Israel jointly to develop Gal-Mobile, a mobile desalination plant.
(b) Doesn’t arise.
(c) & (d) The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation does not have any plans to import such plants. Desalination is an important water purification technology and is implemented in our country as well. As per the information provided by the States into integrated management information system (IMIS) of the Ministry as on 24th July 2017, 10,734 community water purification plants based on Reverse Osmosis based desalination technology have been installed so far.
Two numbers of sea water based desalination plants each of capacity 100 million liters per day has already been commissioned near Chennai. Further, in Lakshadweep islands three numbers of low temperature thermal desalination plants each of capacity 1.0 lakh liter per day have been commissioned.
The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has also set up a High Level Expert Committee in 2014 on Rural Drinking and Sanitation under the Chairmanship of Prof. Dr. R. A. Mashelkar, Ex. DG-CSIR, Government of India. The committee has so far recommended 30 technologies for drinking water which inter-alia includes reverse osmosis technology.
As per the information furnished by Indian Mission in Tel Aviv to Ministry of External Affairs, Gal-Mobile is an independent, integrated water purification vehicle designed to produce potable drinking water. The technology can purify up to 20,000 liters/ day of sea water and 80,000 liters/day of brackish / muddy or contaminated water and bring down to World Health Organization (WHO) standards.