The proposal to build the first seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Karnataka state, India, has won Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance, reports The Hindu.
The 300,000 m3/d plant will supply desalinated water to a refinery owned by Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL). The expert committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change considered that coastal-related concerns with the project are minimal and confined to the construction period.
The clearance is subject to MRPL ensuring that temporary structures installed to help with laying pipes are removed within a week of completion.
The intake for the plant will be located 950 metres from the shoreline. The outfall, with diffusers, will be 1,050 metres from shore. High-density polyethylene pipes (HDPE) will be laid two metres below the sea bed.
The plant is to be designed, built and operated and maintained for 10 years by VA Wabag. Mechanical completion is expected in August 2020.
MRPL will now seek consent from Karnataka State Pollution Board.
Wabag to design and build a desalination plant at Mangalore refinery (January 2019)