In March 2023, BusinessLine reported that VA Tech Wabag had won a design, build and operate order from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) for a 400 million litres per day seawater reverse osmosis plant. According to a Wabag statement, the total cost was about 4,400 crore rupees. Wabag was to build the plant at Perur on the East Coast Road with Metito Overseas within 42 months and then operate it for 20 years. The project was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The report showed the scale at which Chennai was turning to seawater desalination: according to Wabag, the city was to produce about 750 million litres of desalinated water a day along its coast.
Source: BusinessLine