NIOT's LTTD desalination plants on 8 Lakshadweep islands

13 November 2026 · English Science & Technology

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Topics: Science & Technology · UPSC Prelims · TNPSC · SSC · Current Affairs

Current affairs of 13 November 2026 (Shanmugam IAS Academy) – explained for UPSC, TNPSC and other competitive exams

News

Eight plants based on indigenous Low Temperature Thermal Desalination (LTTD) technology have been set up in Lakshadweep, supplying safe drinking water with minimal environmental impact. Phani Kumar, Project Director of the Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), which developed it, presented the technology at the first Regional Conference on Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 held in Tiruchirappalli on 12–13 November 2026 (ANI). At the same meet NIOT also showcased its Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) project, which combines power generation with desalination (conference details: news 2). The plants are on Kavaratti, Minicoy, Agatti, Amini, Kalpeni, Kadmat, Chetlat and Kiltan islands. Warm surface seawater is evaporated at low pressure and the vapour is condensed into fresh water using cold seawater drawn from about 350–400 m depth. No chemicals or high-pressure membranes are needed, and no concentrated brine – harmful to corals – is discharged. Lakshadweep's first LTTD plant was commissioned at Kavaratti in 2005; the OTEC plant is being built at Kavaratti.

Key facts for the exam

Background

• Lakshadweep is India's smallest Union Territory, with Kavaratti as capital. The coral islands have no rivers; fresh groundwater floats as a thin rain-fed 'lens' over seawater. Over-extraction causes seawater intrusion and sewage contamination, leading to water scarcity. Lakshadweep comes under the jurisdiction of the High Court at Ernakulam (Keralam High Court).
• Science: when pressure falls, the boiling point of water falls. So in a vacuum chamber, surface seawater at about 28–30°C flash-evaporates. Cold deep-sea water (about 7–15°C) condenses the vapour into fresh water. Unlike reverse osmosis (RO), no high-pressure pumps or membranes are needed.
• NIOT was set up in 1993 as an autonomous institute under the then Department of Ocean Development; it now functions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. It also runs the 'Samudrayaan' deep-ocean crewed submersible 'Matsya-6000' project. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh visited the Kavaratti LTTD plant in March 2026.
• The 'Jal Jeevan Mission' was launched in 2019 to provide tap water to every rural household; its second phase, JJM 2.0, stresses source sustainability, community participation and reforms. The Tiruchirappalli meet is the first of five planned regional conferences.

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Sources: ANI (13 Nov 2026, JJM 2.0 Tiruchirappalli conference – NIOT presentation, 8 LTTD plants, OTEC); PIB – Ministry of Earth Sciences – pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2236133 (6 Mar 2026); MoES Lok Sabha reply – moes.gov.in (22 Mar 2023); Down To Earth – downtoearth.org.in (4 Aug 2022, OTEC); ThePrint – theprint.in (Mar 2026); NIOT – niot.res.in (LTTD). Compiled by Shanmugam IAS Academy.

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