This summer, tipplers in Maharashtra may have to go easy on beer. The drought-like situation in Aurangabad district has forced the State Government to curtail water supply to the breweries in the Walunj industrial area.
This has already started affecting the production of beer.
The Walunj area comprises several breweries, notably that of Kingfisher, Heineken, Fosters and Carlsberg, which are dominant players even in the local market. The area is well-known as the beer capital of Maharashtra.
About 298 litres of water are required to make one litre of beer. About one glass of beer (250 ml) needs about 74 litres of water.
In the case of beer making at Walunj, the water is sourced from the Jayakwadi dam, which is 60 km away. Given the fact that this water quality is excellent, it makes it a natural choice for the beer makers.
However, due to the poor monsoon in the State, the water situation has become grim in the district and farmers have begun to agitate against the State Government.
Their demand is that water should be only given for human and agricultural consumption, not for industries.
Around Diwali last year, many farmers had even forced the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which manages the Walunj industrial area, to shut down water supply to the industries in the district for a day. Supply was restored only after police protection was given to the MIDC staff.
A senior MIDC official at Walunj told Business Line that before the water scarcity, MIDC was responsible for water distribution.
However, the dire situation today has ensured that the MIDC is taking orders from the district collector regarding water supply. MIDC has asked all the companies, including beer companies at Walunj, to reduce water consumption, the official said.
He added that MIDC lifts usually about 56 million litres a day (MLD) of water from the Jayakwadi dam. As the dam level has started dropping, MIDC now lifts about 44 MLD of water.
“MIDC has four pumps for supplying to Walunj, which usually run 24 hours. Today, one shift of eight hours has been curtailed, which means about 20 to 22 per cent less water is being pumped to the area,” the official added.
At this point, beer companies are trying out alternative arrangements from bore wells and ensuring adequate supply through private water suppliers.
But the water quality is not very good, nor is it economical, which has been the constant bane of the beer companies. As summer picks up, the demand for beer will also rise. Supply issues will start surfacing very soon, the official said.