In December 2022, The New Indian Express reported that Chennai's water board (CMWSSB) was speeding up construction of its third desalination plant at Nemmeli. The plant was designed for 150,000 m³ per day at a cost of Rs 1,516.8 crore. An official said around 80 percent of the work was complete, with operation due in April. The water was to serve southern Chennai and the IT corridor, about 900,000 people. Demand stood at 1,400 million litres per day against a supply of 1,060 million litres.
The report showed how heavily Chennai, lacking perennial water sources, relied on desalination: the third plant was meant to help close a supply gap of roughly a quarter of demand.
Source: The New Indian Express