L&T upbeat on growth prospects in desalination projects

L&T’s water and effluent treatment business is eyeing a slew of desalination and water treatment projects worth $1-bn in the country.

The business, which is undertaken by L&T Construction in partnership with UAE-based Tecton Engineering and Construction, is seeing significant demand mostly from coastal regions. “Coastal regions in India from the South, the East and the North-West are looking at desalination plants as an option to reduce the stress on municipal corporations,” informed Mr. S. Rajavel, Head of the Water and Effluent Treatment business, L&T.

L&T is particularly upbeat about this business as it has been seeing some momentum recently. In the past couple of months, the firm has bagged two such orders – one from the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) and another from the Delhi Jal Board.

Mr. Rajavel believes that many factors are contributing to this upsurge in water-treatment initiatives, which is a $2-bn business for the company at present. “Rising shortage of ground water, rapid urbanisation and expansion of industrial activities have all put a strain on municipal corporations’ ability to meet the water demand,” he said.