Harvest rainwater to save Punjab's groundwater

The Green Revolution of the 1960s transformed Punjab into India’s food bowl, but at a high environmental cost.

- SS Sekhon

The widespread cultivation of high-yielding rice and wheat led to unsustainable dependence on groundwater. Over decades, unchecked extraction caused the water table to plunge nearly 30 metres, according to the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). Farmers now drill deeper, pushing up irrigation costs, degrading soil, and reducing both yields and incomes.

At present, Punjab extracts 165% of its annual groundwater availability, far exceeding the national safe limit of 100%. Over the past five years, the water levels are failing by 16 centimetres annually, and 115 of the state’s 153 blocks are classified as overexploited. In 2023-24 alone, Punjab withdrew 28.95 billion cubic metres (BCM) of groundwater, creating an 11.32 BCM deficit. Nearly 90% of this water goes to irrigation, with rice and wheat consuming 85%. Producing 1kg of rice can require up to 5,000 litres of water. Free electricity for agriculture further discourages conservation.

If this trend continues, the CGWB warns that groundwater could plunge to 100 metres by 2029 and beyond 300 metres by 2039. Urban areas, now increasingly reliant on groundwater for municipal needs, may soon face the same shortages already burdening rural Punjab.

Rain to the rescue