from daijiworld's special correspondent

Panaji, Sep 9: United Breweries Ltd Goa, a venture of Vijay Mallya-led UB Group, is harvesting rainwater in the state to tide over water crisis.

"Scientific rainwater harvesting has helped us to cope with the water demand. All abandoned borewells have been recharged," Govind Tiwari, Divisional Vice-President and Chief Executive, United Breweries Ltd, stated.

UB's plant in north Goa's Bethora Industrial Estate has accumulated one crore litres of rain water between June and September. "We have constructed check dams and created an artificial lake within the 40 acres factory premises to recharge the ground water level," Tiwari said.

The coastal state is facing water shortage with a recent Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) report putting the shortfall at 211 mld. "It is estimated that Goa's unrestricted water demand reaches over 415 mld, while the average availability is only 204 mld," the report said.

"We will be able to pump out 5,000 litres of water per hour for almost 10 hours a day from each borewell after commissioning of treatment plant next month," he said.

Tiwari, also Chairman of Goa chapter of NGO Indian Environment Association, suggested the state government should make it mandatory for new housing complexes to have rainwater harvesting system in place before granting licences." "We will provide all the technical know-how to set up rainwater harvesting system," he added.