Summary:
MANGALURU: Come March 2020, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) will reassert its green credentials by commissioning Karnataka’s first desalination plant. At present, MRPL sources river water from the Nethravathi through its weir at Shamboor. “The company has implemented the ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R)’ philosophy for its solid and Liquid Waste Management,” Shanker, also chairman of ONGC, said. Work on the Rs 600 crore 5MGD reverse osmosis plant has already begun on at Tannirbhavi hear here and will help the state’s only refinery reduce its fresh water intake to the bare minimum and for times when the Nethravathi is full and flowing to the brim.M Venkatesh, managing director, MRPL told TOI that refinery requires nearly 13-14 MGD water for its operations. At present, MRPL is getting around 2.5MGD of treated sewage and once all four sewerage treatment plants of MCC become functional, this source of water too will go up, further reducing its footprints on naturally available river water.With dry months in the city normally spanning for two to three months, our endeavour with the desalination plant is to strike a balance with our water requirements, he said..