A demonstration for converting seawater into freshwater using technology in the deep-sea fishing boats will be held in the presence of the Minister for Fisheries, Port and Inland Water Transport S Angara on September 3.
The demonstration will be held near the estuary in the fishing boats by a private firm, said Fisheries department Deputy Director Harish Kumar to DH.
The fisheries department officials, representatives of fishermen, bank officials will take part in the demonstration.
The fishing boats that venture into the deep sea remain in mid-sea for seven to 10 days. Each boat will have a minimum of 15 fishermen.
The fishermen who venture into deep-sea fishing have been facing inconvenience with the shortage of potable water when the water carried by them in the boat gets exhausted. Now, a technology has been developed to process the salt water for drinking purpose.
Already, a demonstration was held before the officials from the fisheries department and Fisheries College recently.
Fishermen leader Ramachandra Baikampady said that 5000 litre water is carried by fishermen. Here using a potable purifier, the seawater can be converted into potable water. This in turn helps the fishermen and prevents them from spending money on the purchase of potable water, which in turn reduces the weight in the boat as well. The space used for storing water can be in turn used for storing the fish catch.
The saltwater is collected in a small pipe when the boat starts its journey. Later with the help of a purifier fixed in the machine, about 2000 litre of water can be purified daily. The purifier machine costs Rs 4.50 lakh. If the government could provide subsidy or financial assistance, then it will be of great help to the fishermen, said Baikampady.
“During a recent demonstration held at an estuary in Mangaluru, the fisheries department deputy director and I had even consumed the saltwater which was converted to freshwater. It is as tasty as normal drinking water without any change in taste,” he said.
A proposal seeking help from the government for the fishermen was submitted to B S Yediyurappa when he was the chief minister. It is an Australian-based technology that is used widely in Europe.