Groundwater Problems in Punjab: A Matter of Concern

Abstract

Nature has gifted Punjab with rich sources of water; ground as well as surface. High yielding capacity of the wells and aquifers in the State offered unprecedented supply as well as use (misuse) of groundwater resource. The state water resources have been/are exploited for large –scale supplies of water for irrigation, industrial and urban use. Though Punjab occupies only 1.57 percent geographical area of the country, yet it contributes about 50 percent of the total grain production. More than 83 percent of land of Punjab is under agriculture and agriculture is highly modernized. After green Revolution, modern technology like agriculture machinery, irrigation facilities, HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc. have been used to increase production of crops which exploited the soil and water resources very badly and affected many segments of agrarian society of Punjab. In the major parts of Punjab, ground water levels ranges from 10 to 20 meters from the ground surface but in central parts it ranges from 20 to 40 meters. In contrast to this situation the south western part of Punjab is facing entirely a different problem that is the rise in water table and those areas are affected by water logging. Thus, in some areas irrigation becomes cause of declining water table and in other areas it becomes cause of water logging. The major concerns related to groundwater quality in this State are high salinity, high levels of fluoride, chloride, nitrate, uranium etc. In this paper effort has been made to find out the spatial extent and causes of groundwater depletion in major parts of Punjab.