Even with free water, revenue from bills up 3%: CM

Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday said if the people of the state cooperate, then the state will be able to supply households with water for eight hours.
Clarifying that he was not speaking about 24x7 water supply, Sawant said that already, under the Save Water to Get Free Water scheme “55% of households get free water”.
Sawant was speaking at a community level training under the Jal Jeevan Mission. To treat raw water, the government spends Rs 16 per cum, but supplies it to consumers at Rs 3.5, he said. “The state government bears a cost of Rs 13 per cum to supply water to the public,” he said.
Currently, under the state’s Save Water to Get Free Water scheme, households are not charged for water consumption of up to 16,000 litres.
“Even after providing free water, the revenue from water bills has increased by 3%,” the chief minister said, adding that 16,000 liters of water is enough for a family of four.
If the state government gets the cooperation of the public then better purified water can be supplied to households, Sawant said, adding that Goa is the first state in Goa to provide water under Har Ghar Jal.