MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND MINISTER OF OCEAN DEVELOPMENT
(KAPIL SIBAL)
(a) & (b) National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, an autonomous body
of the Ministry has indigenously designed, developed and demonstrated the
desalination technology for conversion of sea water into potable water based
on Low Temperature Thermal Desalination System (LTTD). The LTTD is a
process under which the warm surface sea water is flash evaporated at low
pressure and the vapour condensed with cold deep sea water. After
conducting several experiments in the Laboratory (500 Liter per day capacity
& 5000 Liter per day capacity), a LTTD plant with a capacity of 1 lakh liter/day
production of fresh water was commissioned in Kavarattt, Lakshadweep in
May, 2005. The plant has been working continuously since then and catering
to the needs of the population of Kavaratti. This plant was handed over to
Lakshadweep Administration in March, 2006 for operation and maintenance.
To cater to the needs of large population of coastal cities of India,
development of higher capacity plants is underway. Towards this, an LTTD
plant with a capacity of one million Liter per day was designed, developed and
demonstrated on experimental basis on the barge off Chennai in the first week
of May, 2006. The estimated cost of production of fresh water, being operated at Kavaratti,
Lakshadweep, is 7-9 paise per litre. It is expected to come down for 1 Million litre per day
(MLD) plant to 6 paise per litre.
(c) to (f) No, Sir. This Ministry did not receive any proposal from Tamil Nadu for conversion
of seawater to drinking water. However, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board Unit of the
Ministry of Finance had referred a proposal to this Ministry for seeking clearance on setting
up of 100 MLD desalination plant near Minjur at Chennai, which is a Reverse Osmosis based
Technology. This Ministry had examined the proposal from technology and environmental point
of view and accorded necessary clearance subject to environmental issues associated with the
proposed 100 MLD desalination plant to be ensured during and after installation of the plant.
However, the Ministry did receive the proposals from Lakshadweep Administration to set up two
more LTTD plants in other islands, one each at Andrott Island & Kiitan Island of the
Lakshadweep. The capacity of LTTD plant to be set up at Andrott Island would be 3 lakh
litter per day for which an allocation of Rs. 4.7 crore has been made. Similarly, the capacity
of the plant to be set up at Kiitan Island would be1.5 lakh liter per day for which an
allocation of Rs.3.9 crore has been earmarked. Actions have been initiated to set up
desalination plant in other two islands of the Lakshadweep. These LTTD plants are land
based similar to the one commissioned at Kavaratti.
