Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is rethinking its proposed 10 MLD desalination plant at Munambam, envisaged as a solution to the persistent drinking water crisis in the coastal regions of Ernakulam district. The plant was proposed during the time of the previous LDF government.
The United Democratic Front (UDF) government had recently announced that it was considering a proposal to establish desalination plants along the Keralam coast. A 13-member expert committee has also been constituted for this.
“Now that the 190 MLD Water Treatment Plant at Aluva has received the administrative sanction, we are focussing on that. We are also rethinking the proposed plant in Munambam because the 190 MLD plant can address the water shortage,” said a KWA source.
Several parts of Kochi have been experiencing acute drinking water crisis. The government had accorded administrative sanction for ₹523 crore for the 190 MLD project recently. It will be implemented as part of the Kerala Urban Water Supply Improvement Project, aided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The proposed seawater desalination plant was envisaged as a pilot project at Munambam, in the Pallippuram grama panchayat at Vypeen. It is learnt that a Detailed Engineering Report (DER) for this project was also prepared, according to sources.
The Munambam project cost was estimated at ₹215 crore, with an annual operation and maintenance cost of ₹14.80 crore. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) had also identified a 60-cent land located in Kuzhuppilly village. Since the land was excluded from the cadastral survey, the government issued a notification to conduct a survey of this land and incorporate it into Kuzhuppilly village.
Sources said all the survey proceedings were carried out. But the desalination project did not take off.
“The project was primarily planned to address the water scarcity in the coastal belt of Pallippuram panchayat. Desalination plants can be a much more reliable source for addressing water scarcity, given our geographical advantages,” said another KWA source.
Published - October 22, 2026 03:41 pm IST