Lakshadweep, March 07, 2026: Union Minister for Earth Sciences and Science and Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh visited the Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) plant in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep, to evaluation the functioning of desalination services that provide ingesting water throughout a number of islands in the archipelago.
The go to was a part of the minister’s official tour of Lakshadweep, throughout which he held a evaluation assembly with officers and scientists on tasks being applied by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The LTTD programme has been developed and applied by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), an autonomous institute beneath the ministry.
Officials knowledgeable the minister that desalination crops primarily based on LTTD expertise are at the moment operational on eight islands in Lakshadweep, together with Kavaratti, Minicoy, Agatti, Amini, Kalpeni, Kadamat, Chetlat and Kiltan. The expertise converts seawater into potable water through the use of the temperature distinction between heat floor seawater and chilly deep-sea water drawn from depths of about 350–400 metres.
During the evaluation, scientists briefed the minister on the operational features of the crops and their contribution to addressing freshwater shortages in the island territory. Lakshadweep has traditionally confronted challenges associated to ingesting water availability resulting from restricted groundwater assets, salinity intrusion and dependence on seasonal rainfall.
Under the LTTD course of, heat seawater is flash-evaporated beneath low strain, and the vapour produced is condensed utilizing chilly deep-sea water to generate potable water. Scientists defined that the system doesn’t require chemical components or high-pressure membranes and avoids the discharge of concentrated brine, serving to defend fragile coral reef ecosystems across the islands.
The first LTTD desalination plant in Lakshadweep was commissioned in Kavaratti in 2005, after which comparable services have been established on different islands over time. Officials famous that the expertise has helped enhance entry to ingesting water throughout the area and cut back dependence on rainwater harvesting.
Local authorities additionally reported that the elevated availability of fresh water has contributed to a discount in water-borne illnesses and improved the reliability of year-round water provide for island communities.
The desalination crops are operated with the help of educated native personnel beneath the Lakshadweep administration. Scientists concerned in the programme highlighted that the set up of deep-sea pipelines and operation of the system in difficult seabed and monsoon circumstances required specialised engineering experience.
During the go to, Dr. Jitendra Singh emphasised the position of ocean expertise in addressing water shortage in island and coastal areas. He famous that the expertise gained from the Lakshadweep initiative might assist information the deployment of comparable applied sciences in different areas going through water stress as India explores sustainable options to make sure long-term water safety.