Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh
Overexploitation of groun-dwater in the region is the highest in the country, with Punjab topping the list of states extracting a lot more water than it should. While the national average of extracting groundwater is 63 per cent of the annual extractable resources, it is as high as 166 per cent in Punjab.
The annual extractable groundwater resource of Punjab is 21.58 billion cubic metres (BCM) where as the current annual extraction is 35.78 BCM, according to data released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti on February 10. Irrigation accounts for over 96 per cent of groundwater use in Punjab, with domestic consumption being about 1 BCM and industrial use 0.20 BCM.
The annual recharge of groundwater in the state is 23.93 BCM out of which about 73 per cent is during the monsoon season. Recharge from rains during this reason accounts for only 5.54 BCM while 11.83 BCM is from other sources.
Punjab is followed by Rajasthan and Haryana, where the extraction is 140 per cent and 137 per cent more than the extractable resources. On the other hand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland draw the least amount of water in percentage terms, with the extraction in these states being less than one per cent of the extractable resources.
Prof SS Johl, an eminent agricultural economist, said, “Over 75 per cent of crop area in Punjab depends upon groundwater for irrigation and use of canal water remains low. Recharge of groundwater is also inadequate as rivers and seasonal rivulets have been dammed.”
Blaming government policies for the current situation, he added that there was neither any effort by farmers to conserve water or any incentives for them to switch over to other methods of irrigation.
A pre-monsoon survey in 2019 carried out by the Central Ground Water Board revealed that of 245 wells analysed, water level had fallen in 69 per cent when compared with the mean pre-monsoon levels. The drop in the level; was between 0-2 m in most of the wells while in five it was between 2-4 m and above four m in two wells.
According to a CGWB official the wheat and paddy cropping pattern in Punjab has led to manifold increase in demand for water. About 90 per cent of the state’s area is underlain by quaternary alluvial deposits that are important sources of abundant and dependable groundwater supplies which are being exploited.
