Scientists Make Sea Water Drinkable, Produce 6.3 Million Litres A Day

[piKacHHu]

For River linkage plan, I am not sure whether the establishment in India is still sticking to the "The Grand Plan"; i.e. Inter-Linking of the major rivers like Ganga, Yamuna and other Southern Rivers. Executing such a huge project is no doubt costly, time consuming, and can have ecological consequences. I am rather suggesting river inter-linking at smaller scale in a regional level; this could be done by making small reservoirs in monsoon rivers. It ensures healthy ground water levels throughout the year.

So, drawing sea water is best way. Yes, this method is costly but we found a costly solution at least that can save us from crisis.
And FYI, this tech is brand new for India. As the time passes, we will discover cheaper ways as well.

You can check this link which tells the status of Desalination in India.

http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/fresh-from-the-sea/article4418163.ece

Desalination in India

India has a long coastline of 7,600 km. Coastal areas such as Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have a huge problem of water scarcity due to poor river water availability, low ground water levels and high demand. Interestingly, these states also have high industrial penetration and demand from industrial users with readiness to pay high prices for reliable water supply. Large industries such as refineries, petrochemical complexes and power plants come up near the coast, and need huge volumes of water. Thus, desalination is a relevant and economically feasible solution to water problems in coastal areas. Many industries in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are already paying more than Rs. 60 per cubic metres for their water supply costs.

Over 100 small and large desalination plants are running across the country. A 100 mld desalination plant is being built in Nemmeli, Chennai for Chennai Metro by VA Tech Wabag.

Big industries in coastal areas have also been seriously exploring sea water. Industries like Nirma, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd, Indian Rayon and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. have been some of the pioneers in this area. However, as technology costs reduce and there is a higher level of market acceptability, one can expect desalination plants to come up along the coasts of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Chief concerns


As more countries and communities consider desalination a viable option, a number of new socio-political issues are getting discussed. These include environmental concerns, energy requirements, greenhouse gas production issues, impact on local communities, water distribution to competing sectors and privatisation issues. Even issues related to the quality and taste of the desalinated seawater are of concern.

Energy costs are worrying, and solutions such as water conservation, reuse and recycling are proposed as preferable solutions. Environmental concerns also persist, related to disposal of the concentrate and the impact on marine life. While there have been attempts to allay these concerns, environmental groups and NGOs continue to protest against desalination projects.

Economic sustainability is a concern, with many commentators saying that desalination may be okay for the rich nations of the Middle-East, Europe and North America, but that it is impractical for developing countries. However, plants in Africa and Asia have been successful so far.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

For River linkage plan, I am not sure whether the establishment in India is still sticking to the "The Grand Plan"; i.e. Inter-Linking of the major rivers like Ganga, Yamuna and other Southern Rivers. Executing such a huge project is no doubt costly, time consuming, and can have ecological consequences. I am rather suggesting river inter-linking at smaller scale in a regional level; this could be done by making small reservoirs in monsoon rivers. It ensures healthy ground water levels throughout the year.



You can check this link which tells the status of Desalination in India.

http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/fresh-from-the-sea/article4418163.ece

Desalination in India

India has a long coastline of 7,600 km. Coastal areas such as Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh have a huge problem of water scarcity due to poor river water availability, low ground water levels and high demand. Interestingly, these states also have high industrial penetration and demand from industrial users with readiness to pay high prices for reliable water supply. Large industries such as refineries, petrochemical complexes and power plants come up near the coast, and need huge volumes of water. Thus, desalination is a relevant and economically feasible solution to water problems in coastal areas. Many industries in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu are already paying more than Rs. 60 per cubic metres for their water supply costs.

Over 100 small and large desalination plants are running across the country. A 100 mld desalination plant is being built in Nemmeli, Chennai for Chennai Metro by VA Tech Wabag.

Big industries in coastal areas have also been seriously exploring sea water. Industries like Nirma, Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd, Indian Rayon and Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd. have been some of the pioneers in this area. However, as technology costs reduce and there is a higher level of market acceptability, one can expect desalination plants to come up along the coasts of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Chief concerns


As more countries and communities consider desalination a viable option, a number of new socio-political issues are getting discussed. These include environmental concerns, energy requirements, greenhouse gas production issues, impact on local communities, water distribution to competing sectors and privatisation issues. Even issues related to the quality and taste of the desalinated seawater are of concern.

Energy costs are worrying, and solutions such as water conservation, reuse and recycling are proposed as preferable solutions. Environmental concerns also persist, related to disposal of the concentrate and the impact on marine life. While there have been attempts to allay these concerns, environmental groups and NGOs continue to protest against desalination projects.

Economic sustainability is a concern, with many commentators saying that desalination may be okay for the rich nations of the Middle-East, Europe and North America, but that it is impractical for developing countries. However, plants in Africa and Asia have been successful so far.

Well buddy, desalination is a newly developed tech in India. We will get cheaper methods with time.
But it will surely be foolishness to dump the method. Hard time for us is ahead. Any source of water, we can get, we must collect it.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

In Delhi, a 4000L tanker costs Rs 600 or Rs 150 per kilolitre of "unprocessed" water which is usually not fit for drinking.

People pay a lot of money for water in large cities.

There is no option but to build more desalination plants.

Yes , I know. Few years ago there happened to be a sever crisis of water in Gujarat. Government laid down huge lines for the transport of Narmada water. Now There is no crisis. Very high quality low TDS water is available in each corner of Gujarat. People gets plenty of water. I get 24x7 water in surat.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Indian Scientists Go Nuclear to Provide Pure Water to Thirsty Sub-Continent
India may soon be able to achieve one of its most challenging development goals yet - providing safe, potable drinking water to a population of over 1.2 billion.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — Indian nuclear scientists have come up with a technology that will convert sea water or water polluted with industrial waste into potable water at a startling cost of USD 0.0015 (0.10 INR) per liter in no time.

Scientists at the Madras Atomic Power Station are currently experimenting with the thermal desalination processes which involve the use of nuclear low pressure steam. The plant is the largest operating hybrid nuclear desalination plant in the world.

Replying to a question in Parliament, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office, says, "A seawater desalination plant set up as part of the Nuclear Desalination Demonstration Project at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu produces 4.5 million liters of water per day using a thermal desalination process and 1.8 million liters of water per day using membrane-based technology using electrical energy."

This technology will not only solve the country's periodic droughts, which limit the availability of drinking water in most parts of the country, but also fulfill water requirements for high-end industrial uses.

WaterAid said in a recent report that India has the dubious distinction of having more people than anyone else in the world…who lack safe water. These number 75.8 million, or at least 5% of the country's population of 1.28 billion. Annually, 140,000 children die due to diarrhea caused by the consumption of contaminated water.

The affected groups aren't limited to rural areas; in many Indian cities, the poor cannot afford packaged water or water purifiers.

Meanwhile, due to the lack of clean water, many industries have reportedly deferred their decision to set up plants in India.

FICCI, an Industry body in India, said in a report, "Water demand for the industrial sector is on the rise, and will account for 8.5 and 10.1 per cent of the total freshwater abstraction in 2025 and 2050, respectively."

Pharmaceuticals, power and the food processing industry are the most affected, due to poor quality water. In states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, industries are obtaining water at a cost so high that it is affecting their profit margin considerably.

@Martian