Chennai: The Minjur desalination plant, India’s first large-scale seawater treatment facility, is expected to restart partial operations within two months. The plant was non-operational since mid-Nov 2024 following a labour strike and contract termination, said Metrowatermanaging director T G Vinay.The plant, built in 2010 for 600 crore by the M Karunanidhi govt, was managed by IVRCL Infrastructure and Projects Ltd and Spain-based Befesa Construccion y Tecnologia Ambiental under Chennai Water Desalination Limited (CWDL) under a 25-year agreement. Metrowater terminated the contract in Sept 2024 due to poor performance and non-payment of electricity dues to Tangedco. Though Madras high court initially stayed the move, the termination was upheld in Nov 2024.“Following a protest by unpaid security personnel, Metrowater has now agreed to release salaries using dues payable to CWDL. A new operations and maintenance team has been asked to pay two months’ salary and begin plant cleaning work,” said Vinay. He also said machinery deteriorated, and RO membranes need to be tested to identify usable units. “While full operations may take more than six months, we aim to restart the plant with a capacity of 10-15 million litres a day (MLD) within two months,” Vinay added.In the added areas of North Chennai, including Manali, Madhavaram, and Thiruvottiyur, around 27MLD of water was supplied from the Minjur desal plant while it was functioning. The three zones in North Chennai have a water demand of 40MLD, which is supplied from the 300MLD water treatment plant in Puzhal, through the RO-II pipeline.Neelakannan, chairman of Alliance Resident Welfare Association in Madhavaram, said wards 28 and 29 have long suffered from inadequate water connections despite paying Metrowater taxes ranging from 600 to 3,000. “We are currently dependent on private water tankers and borewells,” he said.