In the past few days several places in Goa witnessed scarcity of drinking water. In other places people have to depend on water supplied by water-tankers. The news that a water tanker was used to transport sewage only made matters worse for the common man. There is also the fear that the Karnataka government’s decision to divert water from Mhadei river may cause problems in many parts of the state. One way to deal with water shortage is to focus on water storage with special priority to rainwater harvesting in the monsoon. The South West Monsoon is at our door steps. Goa, which is in the Konkan coast of India, receives a lot of rain during the monsoon. In spite of getting fairly heavy rainfall during the monsoon every year, several places in Goa face acute water shortage during the rest of the year.
The increase in the number of residential complexes, population increase, industries and construction are some of the reasons for the water scarcity felt in the state. In order to tackle the water shortage and the taps running dry on a regular basis, it would be in the fitness of things for the residents to carry out rainwater harvesting.
The advantages of rainwater harvesting include being cost-effective and is a simple method and easy to practice. It conserves water and serves as a source of water for landscape irrigation.Goa receives on an average around 100 to 120 inches of rain in the four months from June to September. Unfortunately, much of this water flows back into the sea. Government offers subsidies to individual houses and residential complexes that have rainwater harvesting measures. Schemes offered by the Water Resource Department (WRD) include financial assistance ranging between Rs. 15,000 and Rs. One lakh. Creating public awareness regarding these government schemes is the need of the hour.
