Dharmendra Pradhan Inaugurates Odisha’s First Seawater Desalination Plant in Ganjam

Berhampur: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday inaugurated Odisha’s first seawater desalination plant at Matikhal near Chhatrapur in Ganjam district, marking a major step in addressing drinking water scarcity in the region.

The Rs 135-crore facility, developed by the 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. It aims to serve around 7,000 people in two coastal villages and meet industrial demands.

“The villagers were struggling due to salinity in groundwater. This project will permanently resolve their water woes,” Pradhan said.

The plant was formally unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March last year from Bhubaneswar. Technology support came from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), while the Department of Atomic Energy funded the project.

According to OSCOM chief C.V.R. Murthy, 1.5 MLD will be used by OSCOM, 1.5 MLD will go to local villages, and the rest reserved for emergencies. The district administration has laid pipelines and built overhead tanks to ensure household-level supply.

Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy urged IREL to consider a second plant to meet the growing needs of Chhatrapur town and other areas.