CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday conducted a site inspection of the under-construction 400 million liters per day (MLD) desalination plant at Perur in Chengalpattu district. Emphasizing the urgency of the project, the Chief Minister directed officials to ensure the work is completed within the stipulated timeline to effectively address the rapidly growing drinking water demands of the region.
The state-of-the-art facility is being constructed at an estimated cost of ₹5,814.57 crore, serving as a critical infrastructure project to fortify Chennai’s long-term drinking water supply. Once fully commissioned, the Perur desalination plant is projected to benefit approximately 2.267 million residents across the Greater Chennai Corporation, Tambaram City Municipal Corporation, and 20 neighboring village panchayats.
Briefing the Chief Minister during the visit, engineering officials reported significant headway in crucial marine and offshore works. Key milestones achieved beneath the seabed include the successful laying of:
Two massive seawater intake pipelines measuring 1,200 meters and 1,210 meters in length.
An 840-meter brine outfall pipeline.
All marine pipelines utilize heavy-duty 2,500 mm High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) diameters.
Furthermore, the offshore intake caisson—a critical structural chamber—has been seamlessly integrated into the primary pipeline network.
Progress on the project's extensive 59 km transmission infrastructure from Perur to Porur is also underway. Of the 41.51 km of pipeline materials already procured, 12.36 km have been laid. This includes a 2,000 mm diameter pipeline stretching along the ECR-Kovilancheri junction, where 7.74 km of the planned 27.1 km has been completed. The rest of the network will utilize pipe diameters of 1,800 mm and 1,000 mm to distribute the treated water.
As part of his inspection tour, CM Vijay also visited the existing 110 MLD and 150 MLD desalination plants operating in neighboring Nemmeli under the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). The Chief Minister closely reviewed the functioning of the intake sump at the 110 MLD facility and inspected the advanced Reverse Osmosis (RO) building and SCADA-based centralized control systems managing the 150 MLD plant.
Currently, Chennai relies on a daily supply of roughly 1,230 MLD of drinking water. This supply is aggregated from the Poondi, Cholavaram, Red Hills, Kannankottai-Thervoy Kandigai, Chembarambakkam, and Veeranam reservoirs, alongside the active Nemmeli desalination units. The upcoming 400 MLD mega-facility at Perur marks a massive expansion of the city's climate-resilient water infrastructure to sustain its expanding population.