In March 2018, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House) reported, citing the Bangalore Mirror, that Karnataka had approved the feasibility study for a seawater desalination plant in Mangaluru. The plan was a 100,000 m³/day reverse osmosis facility as a public-private partnership, sized for 15 years of demand, with an optional equal second stage for needs to 2052. Infrastructure Development Corporation Karnataka wrote the study; the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board was to buy the water. The National Environment Care Federation opposed the scheme on environmental grounds.
The report showed that by 2018 seawater desalination was being assessed for port cities on India's west coast as part of municipal supply, planned with private capital and facing local objections.