Accelerating rate of groundwater depletion in Punjab, worries farmers and experts.

June 27, 2022

A National Green Tribunal (NGT) monitoring committee announced recently that Punjab’s groundwater will drop below 300 metres by the year 2039.
Punjab’s central and southern districts, such as Barnala, Bathinda, Fatehgarh Sahib, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Moga, SAS Nagar, Pathankot, Patiala and Sangrur, are among the most affected as the average yearly rate of fall of groundwater levels works out to be approximately 0.49 metre per year.
Punjab’s area under paddy, that includes all varieties, is close to 25-27 lakh hectares. Punjab’s water resources can only tolerate paddy’s area to the tune of 10-12 lakh hectares.
While agriculture experts and environmentalists suggest phasing out the paddy crop, as one of the main solutions for the groundwater crisis, farmers expect assured purchase of the alternative crops planted as a replacement for paddy.