Chennai: South Chennai neighbourhoods that currently depend on borewells and private water tankers along East Coast Road (ECR), Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), and Tambaram will soon receive piped water supply. The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) aims to provide 400 million litres per day (MLD) within a year, as part of the ₹5,814-crore Perur desalination plant project. The project has a deadline of October 2027, and 66.5% of the work has been completed so far.
Progress on Desalination Plant and Pipelines
The ongoing works at the Perur desalination plant include intake facilities, clarifiers, reverse osmosis systems, reservoirs, sludge treatment units, and utility buildings. Marine works have also progressed significantly, with underground 2,500mm high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines being laid beneath the seabed. Two intake pipelines and a brine outfall line have already been completed and connected.
To carry desalinated water into the city, large transmission pipelines are being laid from Perur to Porur over a distance of 59 kilometres. So far, 10.32 kilometres of pipelines have been laid out of the 37.13 kilometres procured. Under the Perur–Kovilancheri package, 7.13 kilometres of the total 27.1-kilometre pipeline has been completed.
Official Inspection and Directives
Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi inspected the site on Saturday and directed officials to meet deadlines. Officials stated that the contract includes 42 months for construction and 20 years of operation and maintenance, with the government aiming to commission the plant by October 2027. This was Bedi’s first field inspection after the new government assumed office. Sources said that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, who heads the MAWS department, had asked officials during his initial review meetings to prioritise ongoing drinking water projects.
Review of Water Supply and Sewerage Works
Later, Bedi reviewed water supply and sewerage works worth ₹686.54 crore across Manali, Madhavaram, Vadaperumbakkam, Theeyambakkam, Mathur, and Puzhal — areas where several households still lack piped drinking water access. At Grand Northern Trunk Road, officials are using trenchless technology to lay sewer infrastructure without digging up roads.
Under this package, the city will get 7,087 manholes, 183.38 kilometres of sewer pipelines, 30.57 kilometres of force mains, nine sewage treatment plants, and 14 sewage pumping stations. Around 18,581 house sewer connections are planned, benefiting nearly two lakh residents.
