The agreement between GWIL and Essel Infraprojects Ltd was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. (Source: File Photo) The agreement between GWIL and Essel Infraprojects Ltd was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. (Source: File Photo) Essel Infraprojects Ltd Friday signed a concession agreement with the Gujarat Water Infrastructure Ltd (GWIL) to design, build, finance, operate and transfer a Rs 1,000 crore water desalination plant at Jodiya in Jamnagar district. The agreement between GWIL and Essel Infraprojects Ltd was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. While the entire project cost will be handled by the company, the Gujarat government will pay for the treated water. According to the state government, the 100 million litres per day (MLD) treatment plant will provide supplies to the water grid of Gujarat for the next 25 years and will be transported from Jodiya to Hirapar through a pipeline. At Hirapar, the pipeline will connect to Gujarat’s existing water grid to boost supplies to Jamnagar, Rajkot and Morbi cities along with adjoining areas. When quizzed about the cost at which the water will be sold to the government, Gopal Gupta, a spokesperson from Essel Infraprojects told The Indian Express, “Once the plant is ready, we will be providing potable drinking water at a spot decided by the state government. Though we are yet to finalise the payment that the state government will make for the water, it will be on a monthly basis.” Essel Infraprojects will source the technology for converting sea water to drinking water from a Spanish firm, Abengoa. The plant targeting to decrease the dependence of Jamnagar district on Narmada water is expected to get ready in a time frame of 30 months with a storage capacity of 20 million litres. “Gujarat has taken a lead in the development of this innovative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Such model can bring in large private investment in the water sector and can generate a billion litres of water across the coastline of the country. It can remove the scarcity of water not only in Gujarat but also in other parts of India,” stated the release from the company. Meanwhile, the state government in a statement said that apart from Jodiya, similar desalination projects are being planned in Porbandar, Dwarka, Veraval and Ghogha (Bhavnagar). For all the latest Ahmedabad News, download Indian Express App © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd

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