Punjab’s water alarm: Over-extraction meets toxic contamination
The Tribune Editorial: This grim reality found political voice recently in the Rajya Sabha, when MP Raghav Chadha raised an alarm over what he called a “toxic-water crisis” in Punjab.
THE latest Central Ground Water Board’s ‘Annual Ground Water Quality Report 2025’ finding that Punjab leads the country with 156.36 per cent groundwater extraction — ie, it takes far more water than is recharged — underscores how dangerously overexploited the state’s aquifers have become. But that is only a part of the tragedy. The report also reveals that 62.5 per cent of tested groundwater samples in Punjab exceed safe limits for uranium. This grim reality found political voice recently in the Rajya Sabha, when MP Raghav Chadha raised an alarm over what he called a “toxic-water crisis” in Punjab. He warned that the contamination, including heavy metals and radioactive pollutants, was jeopardising public health. This caution brings into sharp relief what environmental data has long signalled: this is no longer a remote ecological concern, but a brewing public health emergency.
