Globally 97.5% water is considered salty and remaining 2.5% is fresh water. It is estimated that currently 1.1 Billion people do not have access to safe drinking water and more than twice that number without adequate sanitation. In India alone, more than 200 Million people do not have access to safe drinking water. The solution to meet this growing fresh water demand may be  through Desalination. Desalination is the process by which salt and other minerals are removed from saltwater and brackish water in order to produce fresh water suitable for human consumption, as well as water for irrigation and industrial purposes. Water Desalination market in India has witnessed phenomenal growth in last three years. Seawater desalination is established to be a part of meeting a real water need in the most cost effective manner.

According to recently published report by TechSci Research “Indian Water Desalination Plants Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2017” India water desalination market is all set to growth at CAGR of 22% for next five years. India currently has 182 desalination plants operating in different parts of the country and it is anticipated to be over 500 by 2017. The membrane based technologies are considered 23% cheaper for generating desalinated water when compared with thermal based due to which 85% plants in India are membrane based plants. Government support from centre and some states have contributed enormously in growing demand for desalinated water in India.

Gujarat was once considered a water scarce state but the initiatives of the Gujarat government under the leadership of its Chief Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, the state has the maximum desalinated water generation capacity in the country. Similar, governmental support in Tamil Nadu has enabled the state to be the 2nd highest desalinated water generation state in the country, contributing 24% in total desalinated water capacity in India.