Panaji, Aug 24 (IANS): The Goa government's promise of providing 16,000 litres of water free of charge to domestic consumers from September 1 will benefit 1.5 lac houses in the state, Public Works Department Minister Deepak Pauskar said on Tuesday.

"Of these 3.18 lac water connections, around 1.5 lac connections use up to 16,000 litres of water. We have worked out details of the scheme and will successfully implement it. Our reservoirs in the State have enough water to cater to the entire population," the Public Works Department Minister said.

The Minister also said that currently, the state had a requirement of 600 MLD water per day, while 530 MLD water was being treated every day, adding that the state government was building capacity to ensure that the treatment shortwall was eliminated within the next seven to eight months.

"We are in the process of installing small water treatment plants to treat raw water," Pauskar said.

The announcement of providing free water up to 16,000 litres was made by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on August 15. The announcement also comes ahead of the state Assembly polls that are scheduled to be held in early 2022.