Groundwater ignored

Amit Agnihotri / TNN / Feb 6, 2007, 02:51 IST

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The state's farmers have less than four hectares of land holding, even sanctioning more tubewells won't improve the situation.

CHANDIGARH: Populism continues to rule Punjab politics at the expense of economic sense and how.
With both SAD led by Parkash Singh Badal and Congress by Amarinder Singh offering tubewell-on-demand to all if they come to power, the political leadership shows insensitivity to issues that have the potential to wreck the state's economy.
Facts reveal a grim picture.While there were only 1.92 lakh tubewells in Punjab in 1970-71, the number rose to 6 lakh in 1980-81, 8 lakh in 1990-91, 10 lakh in 2000-01 to around 14 lakh at present.
This proliferation has converted the development blocks into dark zones for highly over-exploited groundwater. In 1984, there were 53 blocks as dark zones, the number went up to 84 in 1995. By 2005, around 108 out of total 138 development blocks in Punjab were dark zones.

In 1973, only 3% area of Punjab had water table below 10m. It went up to 14.9% in 1989, 20% in 1992, 28% in 1997, 53% in 2000, 76% in 2002 and by 2004 around 90% area in the state was drawing water from a depth of more than 10 m. Moreover, water table in 30% area in Punjab stands at 20 metres or more. In central Punjab, the rate of water table depletion has been 93 cm/year.
So while the state continued to lose its natural systems of groundwater recharging in the last two decades as wetlands and village ponds disappeared, there hasn't been much effort to recharge the aquifers (underground water), say experts.

Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission, an NGO, says, "Politicians are least concerned about environmental issues. They should weigh options before doling out promises."
And with 75% of the state's farmers having less than four hectares of land holding, even sanctioning more tubewells won't improve the situation.
Vice-chairman of Punjab Planning Board SS Johl says: "More than one third tubewells in the state have submersible (deep) pumps which cost between Rs 80,000 and 90,000. The small farmer can't afford to buy these pumps. Certainly, they are not going to benefit from such sops."
"Politicians can't play with resources of society," he adds.

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