PATIALA: With no corrective measures being taken to recharge groundwater or spice up crop diversification to check groundwater depletion in Punjab, the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has again reminded the deputy commissioners of various districts to initiate motion towards the ones violating the ban on tubewell uninteresting in the notified areas.
Anoop Nagar, regional director of CGWB, said the placement in positive blocks in the districts was moderately grim and in spite of a ban imposed on installing new tubewells, the board had been receiving reports of bores being illegally dug up in violation of the ban, in drive since 2012.
In the notified areas, tubewells will also be dug up just for ingesting water purposes and that too after taking permission from the deputy commissioner concerned, however no tubewell will also be installed for agricultural use.
In 2003, the CGWB had declared Ludhiana town and adjacent blocks, including Moga-I, Moga-II, Sangrur, Mehal Kalan and Maler Kotla-II (Ahmedgarh) of Sangrur district as notified areas and imposed a ban at the installation of tubewells.
In 2011, the board notified 12 more blocks and banned installations of recent tubewells. These blocks integrated Nakodar, Shahkot and Lohian of Jalandhar district; Patran of Patiala district; Phagwara of Kapurthala district; Nihalwinghwala of Moga district; Dhuri, Sunam, Barnala, Sherpur and Malerkotla of Sangrur district; and Khanna of Ludhiana district. In all, 18 blocks of Punjab had been marked as notified areas.
Nagar said in Punjab, best areas round floodplains alongside the primary rivers had been capable of maintaining heavy responsibility tubewells, whilst groundwater in the remainder of Punjab has been exploited through the years and the placement has long past from dangerous to worse.
He said as consistent with the reports to be had with the CWGB, the annual replenishable groundwater resource in Punjab was 22.53 billion cubic metres (BCM) and the net annual groundwater availability was 20.32 BCM. However, the annual floor water withdrawal was 34.88 BCM, placing 110 blocks in Punjab in over exploited zones, four in severe and two in semi-critical zones.
Nagar said the placement was alarming and the new knowledge confirmed that during over 82% of space in Punjab, the groundwater degree was declining at an incredibly fast fee which can result in desertification of the state. In the areas round Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur, Patiala, Mansa, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala and Jalandhar districts, groundwater degree is declining from 2 to four metres annually, he said.
Meanwhile, highly-placed assets in the state govt said last year, the state govt in consultation with the experts of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) had extended the date of paddy plantation by means of 5 days, which had saved enough groundwater that may meet the home and commercial wishes of all the state for over two-and-a-half years.
Sources said this year also, the federal government was planning to extend the paddy plantation date by means of any other 5 days for which agricultural experts had been being consulted. They said as monsoons succeed in this part of the rustic all over the end of June, extending of dates for paddy plantation can cut down over withdrawal of groundwater.
Anoop Nagar, regional director of CGWB, said the placement in positive blocks in the districts was moderately grim and in spite of a ban imposed on installing new tubewells, the board had been receiving reports of bores being illegally dug up in violation of the ban, in drive since 2012.
In the notified areas, tubewells will also be dug up just for ingesting water purposes and that too after taking permission from the deputy commissioner concerned, however no tubewell will also be installed for agricultural use.
In 2003, the CGWB had declared Ludhiana town and adjacent blocks, including Moga-I, Moga-II, Sangrur, Mehal Kalan and Maler Kotla-II (Ahmedgarh) of Sangrur district as notified areas and imposed a ban at the installation of tubewells.
In 2011, the board notified 12 more blocks and banned installations of recent tubewells. These blocks integrated Nakodar, Shahkot and Lohian of Jalandhar district; Patran of Patiala district; Phagwara of Kapurthala district; Nihalwinghwala of Moga district; Dhuri, Sunam, Barnala, Sherpur and Malerkotla of Sangrur district; and Khanna of Ludhiana district. In all, 18 blocks of Punjab had been marked as notified areas.
Nagar said in Punjab, best areas round floodplains alongside the primary rivers had been capable of maintaining heavy responsibility tubewells, whilst groundwater in the remainder of Punjab has been exploited through the years and the placement has long past from dangerous to worse.
He said as consistent with the reports to be had with the CWGB, the annual replenishable groundwater resource in Punjab was 22.53 billion cubic metres (BCM) and the net annual groundwater availability was 20.32 BCM. However, the annual floor water withdrawal was 34.88 BCM, placing 110 blocks in Punjab in over exploited zones, four in severe and two in semi-critical zones.
Nagar said the placement was alarming and the new knowledge confirmed that during over 82% of space in Punjab, the groundwater degree was declining at an incredibly fast fee which can result in desertification of the state. In the areas round Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Moga, Barnala, Sangrur, Patiala, Mansa, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala and Jalandhar districts, groundwater degree is declining from 2 to four metres annually, he said.
Meanwhile, highly-placed assets in the state govt said last year, the state govt in consultation with the experts of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) had extended the date of paddy plantation by means of 5 days, which had saved enough groundwater that may meet the home and commercial wishes of all the state for over two-and-a-half years.
Sources said this year also, the federal government was planning to extend the paddy plantation date by means of any other 5 days for which agricultural experts had been being consulted. They said as monsoons succeed in this part of the rustic all over the end of June, extending of dates for paddy plantation can cut down over withdrawal of groundwater.
Groundwater situation grim, so act before it’s too late: CGWB
![Groundwater situation grim, so act before it’s too late: CGWB]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 31, 2019
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