In July 2019, The New Indian Express reported that the government of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu was planning a desalination plant in Marakkanam. The plant was intended to supply drinking water to Villupuram. Law minister C. Ve. Shanmugam mentioned the project the previous Sunday in Villupuram, at a function handing over job orders to relatives of deceased police personnel and government employees. He said Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami would announce it soon. The report gave no capacity, cost or timeline.
The report showed desalination in Tamil Nadu as a politically announced option for drinking water supply, at first without technical key figures such as capacity, cost or schedule.
Source: The New Indian Express