PANJIM: PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar has stated that nearly half of the total water consumers in the State won’t have to pay any water charges from the next month, meaning they will get it for free.
He explained that 1.5 lakh consumers out of total 3.18 lakh consumers use water between 0 to 16 units.
Referring to the free water scheme for up to 16 units per month that will be launched by the State government, Pauskar said the aforementioned 1.5 lakh consumers, which are 47.77 per cent of Goa’s total consumers, will not be charged for water.
He further stated that remaining 1.64 lakh consumers, who use water above 16 units per month, will get the first 16 units free and they will be charged as per the existing slabs for the water used above 16 units.
He also appealed to those water consumers having outstanding water bills to avail the one time settlement scheme, which is currently in force, to clear the outstanding amount,
Regarding concern of the presence of microplastics in water, that came to light following a recent study; Pauskar reiterated that water in Goa is safe for drinking and said there is no need for anyone to get scared.
He further added that since the facility to check water for microplastics is not available in any of the 14 water testing labs in Goa, water samples will be sent to Pune or Bangalore for testing to allay the fears in the minds of the people.
Half of State’s consumers to get free water: PWD Min
