Maldives gets solar desalination plant

Male: Two solar desalination plants have been brought to the . These machines were donated by United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO.

Although solar desalination is a new technology to be introduced in the , experts from Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water and Maldives Water and Sewerage Company would embark the project soon.

Each plan has a capacity to produce 500 liters of desalinated water.

Since the technology is new, it is expected that it would take a while to achieve the best utilization of the machines. However, these are more efficient and cost-effective plants in the long-run and are very much designed for smaller populations.

Desalinated water has been one of the major sources of drinking water in the capital city Male’ thought aftermath of 2004 Tsunami has made the fresh water lenses in the islands become brackish.

Government has provided water tanks to households to harvest rain water in the islands as safe source of drinking water.