Cabinet sets up panel on groundwater crisis

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 27

Taking cognisance of reports on Punjab heading for a groundwater crisis by 2025, the state Cabinet on Wednesday constituted a sub-committee to suggest an action plan for water conservation and recharging.

In a Page-1 report published on Wednesday, The Tribune had highlighted that groundwater in large tracts of Punjab had become unsuitable for irrigation purposes, particularly in Malwa.

The five-member sub-committee has been mandated to assess the groundwater situation and interact with agriculturists, environmentalists, NGOs and groundwater experts before finalising its proposal within the next 45 days. The panel report is expected to help the state government formulate a water policy.

The sub-committee will share its report with the Centre to work out ways for crop diversification to minimise groundwater utilisation.

Flagging the issue at the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh suggested that the sub-committee, comprising Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Jails Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Education and Environment Minister OP Soni, should visit Israel to study water conservation methods.

Various departments of the state government have been asked to launch major awareness plans on water conservation.

The groundwater crisis came up for discussion when Mission Director, Directorate of Groundwater Management, Arunjit Singh Miglani, made a presentation to the Cabinet.

It was pointed out that 90 per cent of the blocks in the state had been declared dark, highest in the country, and 60 per cent of the state would be affected by a water crisis by 2025. The state would have no water left after 15 years, unless immediate steps were taken to control the situation.

Water woes

• Punjab uses 73 per cent of its groundwater for irrigation
• Number of tubewells has gone up from 2 lakh in 1971 to 12.5 lakh in 2015-16
• Only 25 per cent agricultural land is dependent on canal water supply
• The state witnessed fall in annual rainfall by 30-40 per cent in three decades