With Punjab headed towards by 2037, the only way to conserve water is by agricultural zoning of the state and by metering groundwater.
These are the major recommendations of the special Vidhan Sabha committee, which submitted a report to Speaker Rana KP Singh here today, suggesting that a policy on groundwater extraction and recharge be brought out.
With Irrigation for Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture being the major source of groundwater depletion, the committee has now recommended that the state be divided into agricultural zones, with certain arid or dry areas being brought under Horticulture crops (in Kandi area) and under Cotton (in South Malwa), with at least 7.50 lakh hectares under the white gold.
Various studies have shown that 17 per cent of tubewells are now dug as deep as 600-650 metre as water is not available in the first 300 metre of the aquifer. Thus, there is urgent need to reassess the use of groundwater and take immediate steps to prevent the desertification of Punjab, which is expected in next 25 years if the groundwater extraction continues at the current rate