KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan. 23, 2011 – The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Manora Water Desalination plant has been inaugurated to provide between 200,000 to 250,000 gallons of water per day to residents of Manora, the Pakistan Navy and harbouring ships.
Installed through a joint venture, including Turkish firm Aritim Mühendislik, the project includes membrane filtration technology and was completed at an investment cost of Rs. 140 million ($1.5 million).
Aritim Mühendislik said construction on the project started in 2010 and that it has supplied more than “six hundred plants worldwide”.
KPT chairman Aslam Hayat was quoted by local press as saying the “Manora Desalination Plant that worked on membrane technology would produce ‘Nestle Quality’ potable water”.
This is not Pakistan’s first desalination facility. One of the country’s first was the Power & Desalination Cogeneration Plant commissioned between DHA Cogen, a company set up under a joint venture between the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Messers Sacoden from Singapore. Sweden’s Alfa Laval provided the desalination units while Siemens of Germany delivered the combined cycle power plant.
The 94 MW plant was slated to produce three million gallons per day of desalinated water, through multi-effect desalination evaporation technology. Following the commission, however, the project has faced reported financial and technical problems.
DHA has said that the second phase of DHA Cogen is in the conception stage for a further 105 MW (gross) electricity and 5 MGD desalinated water, at an estimated cost of US$185 million.
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