61 more Punjab blocks to be declared serious in view of depleting ground water level

With 44 blocks in the state marked serious by Central Ground Water Authority in view of depleting ground water level, Punjab is set to face a grim situation as 61 more blocks out of total 147 are in line to be declared serious.

Farmers of these blocks are forced to incur extra cost to extract water for their crops by deepening their tube wells which have been rendered non-functional due to plummeting ground-water level.

Asserting that the continuous cultivation of wheat and paddy crop in the state has severely affected the ground water in the state, officials highlight that those 61 blocks with a total area of about 22,386 sq km are liable to be declared serious.

Power and Irrigation Minister, Rana Gurjit Singh has already warned of a water emergency, urging farmers to reduce the area under paddy cultivation, however, farmers rue that it would not yield results until the Union government fixes a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for the crops and implement the MS Swaminathan report.

"Tubewells which were run with 5 Horsepower (HP) motor years ago are not functional even with a 40 HP motor, adding to the financial burden of farmers who are already reeling under debts," said Buta Singh, President, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) highlighting that a number of tube wells in villages have been rendered non-functional due to depleting ground water-level.

The state agriculture department has also prepared a crop diversification plan and intensifying efforts to break the wheat-paddy cycle majorly followed.

"Basmati (aromatic) rice requires 75 per cent less water than normal paddy. But, since the government does not purchase it and there are poor returns, farmers go for regular paddy instead," says the farmers union leader. He added that the situation was dismal on ground, which has not only left the state in water crisis, but farmers into spiraling debt liability.