Bhubaneswar: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday inaugurated Odisha’s first seawater desalination plant at Matikhal near Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.
Developed by the Odisha Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), the plant will produce 4.5 million litres of potable water daily using reverse osmosis (RO) technology.
The Rs 135-crore facility aims to address the drinking water needs of approximately 7,000 people in two coastal villages, as well as cater to industrial requirements. Of the total output, OSCOM will utilise 1.5 MLD, another 1.5 MLD will be supplied to nearby villages, and the remaining 1.5 MLD will be reserved for emergencies.
“The villagers were struggling due to salinity in groundwater. This project will permanently resolve their water woes,” Pradhan said.
The plant was formally unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March last year from Bhubaneswar. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) provided the desalination technology, while the Department of Atomic Energy funded the project.
According to OSCOM chief C.V.R. Murthy, water will also be supplied to OSCOM employees and nearby communities. The district administration has constructed overhead tanks and laid pipelines to ensure household-level distribution.
Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy urged IREL to establish a second plant to cater to additional areas, including Chhatrapur town. Currently, water for OSCOM, Berhampur University, and Chhatrapur is sourced from the Rushikulya River, which falls short during peak summer.
