With the industries in Mangaluru and surrounding areas facing severe shortage of water, the Dakshina Kannada district administration is planning to ask them to set up desalination plants.

AB Ibrahim, Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina Kannada district, said the district administration would convene a preliminary meeting with the industry representatives on Wednesday to discuss this issue.

Acute water scarcity has forced Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF) Ltd to shutdown its urea manufacturing unit. Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has partially shutdown its operations.

Stating that MCF has shown interest to set up desalination units, Ibrahim said the closure of the urea manufacturing unit will have impact on the supply of urea during the monsoon.

Technical experts and industry representatives will discuss the modalities of setting up such desalination units for the benefit of industries from the region. Stating that industries from the city are paying ₹50 for a kilolitre to the city corporation for water supplied from the Nethravathi river, he said the cost of desalination would come around ₹80 for a kilolitre of water.

Ibrahim said that desalination plants have been put into use by industries in states like Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, the district administration has issued an order asking the residential units, industries and other commercial complexes having more than 2000 sq ft of area to implement rainwater harvesting mechanisms, and to recharge water table for borewells with suitable mechanisms.

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