The Hindu Business Line : KMML plans to set up desalination plant

KERALA Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML), the grey-gold company in the State public sector, at Chavara in Kollam district is to set up a Rs 50-crore desalination plant so as to augment water supply for its operations and for supply to the public.

"It will stop the depletion of the groundwater resources," Mr K.P. Rajendran, Managing Director, KMML, told Business Line. The company has already explored the viability of the project and "identified a most modern technology". The total cost on full implementation would be approximately Rs 50 crore.

The company has undertaken the major water supply scheme as part of its corporate social responsibility, he said.

The PSU, which uses large quantity of water for its daily operations, has been meeting its requirement and for supply to the public by drawing the sub surface water, which is fast depleting, he said.

Recent survey has revealed that this source of water would be totally exhausted within a few years. For sustained operation of both the plants and the public water supply scheme, the company had found out this alternative source of water.

He said that water from the "Vattakayal"/TS Canal, which is perennial and available throughout the year could be drawn for the purpose. With the completion of the project, "KMML expects its water supply scheme to the public and for its plants can be maintained well," he said.

To augment the existing water supply to the public, a new scheme of Rs 46 lakh is under the active consideration of the company and the approval of the board is expected any time. The new scheme envisages two over-head water tanks of 75,000 litres capacity each and an additional pipeline network of 20 km.

Though KMML started its potable water supply scheme to the surrounding public about a decade ago, only now it has been extended to the adjoining wards of Panmana and Chavara Panchayats through a pipeline network of 50 km, he said. The entire cost for purification of water and maintenance of pipelines are borne by the company, he said.

He said the PSU, in order to provide employment to the evictees of the KMML project, had been developing ancillary industries, which would cater to the needs of the company for items that could be locally manufactured.

One such unit, registered under the leadership of the Land Acquiesced Peoples Association, now undertakes the work of sieving unburned petroleum coke in the factory for reuse. Already 45 people are now working in this unit, which also manufactures pellets, he said.

The company, probably the only State PSU that makes substantial profits every year, is also providing loans to the financially weak State-level PSUs. It had already extended loans to 23 such Government enterprises amounting to Rs 24.25 crore, he said.

He said that the company has started its pigment production unit in 1984 with technical assistance from Kerr McGee Chemical Corporation of the US.

Unlike other State PSUs, the company had no labour strikes in the last 16 years. It has been making profits continuously for the past 11 years and today is a zero debt company, Mr Rajendran pointed out.

On November 8, the company had reached a cumulative production of three lakh tonne of titanium dioxide rutile grade pigment.

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