Bhubaneswar: In a major step towards solving drinking water scarcity in coastal Odisha, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday inaugurated the state’s first seawater desalination plant at Matikhal near Chhatrapur in Ganjam district.
The ₹135-crore project, developed by Odisha Sands Complex (OSCOM), a unit of Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL), will produce 4.5 million litres of potable water daily using reverse osmosis (RO) technology. Of this, 1.5 MLD will cater to OSCOM’s needs, another 1.5 MLD will be supplied to two nearby villages, and the remaining 1.5 MLD will be reserved for emergencies.
Pradhan said the facility would permanently end the hardships caused by high salinity in local groundwater. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) provided the technology, while the Department of Atomic Energy funded the project. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had formally unveiled the plant in March last year from Bhubaneswar.
According to OSCOM chief C.V.R. Murthy, the district administration has built overhead tanks and laid pipelines to ensure household-level supply. Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy urged IREL to set up a second plant to serve more areas, including Chhatrapur town, where summer shortages from the Rushikulya River are common.
Dhenkanal: The fading yet resilient tradition of Kandhei Nacha came into focus during the 35th…
Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Lalit Kala Akademi celebrated its 66th Foundation Day at the Kalinga Art…
Berhampur: Thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles arrived at the Rushikulya river mouth early Sunday…
Bhubaneswar: The third Foundation Day of Odisha Women in Media (OWM) was celebrated in Bhubaneswar…
Bhubaneswar: The Blue Economy is set to become a major pillar of Odisha’s future economic…
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police in collaboration with UNICEF organised the JUVENTICA – Digital Rights & Safety…
