State reels under water shortage

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The water table in 66% of Punjab has declined drastically during the past 25 years in the aftermath of Green Revolution, which though made the state self-sufficient in food grains but led to a huge decline in the water level and depletion of soil nutrients.

It is learnt that in the districts of Patiala, Sangrur, Moga, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana, the situation is particularly grim as the water table is falling at an alarming rate of 40 cm per year.

Punjab Agriculture University experts point out The primary reason for extraction of groundwater is agriculture, particularly water-intensive crops such as wheat and rice. About 60 to 70% of the total cultivated land in Punjab is under wheat-rice cultivation. The dependence on groundwater is alarming. The PAU projections are that by 2010, entire central Punjab will have a water table below 16 m depth. And to add to the problems, a number of mega housing projects are coming up in the state, which would mean need for more ground water.