Some Aspects of Groundwater Balance in Punjab

in Punjab Surendar Singh This paper highlights some important issues pertaining to groundwater irrigation in Punjab, (i) Over-exploitation of ground water in Punjab has made the groundwater balance precarious; the annual drawdown in many regions far exceeds the replenishment; (ii) The 1988 deluge provided only temporary relief by augmenting the net groundwater balance, the gap between draft and recharge continues to be very high, indicating enormous pressure on the irrigation system of the state; (iii) In many regions of the state, the availability of groundwater for irrigation is the direct consequence of canal irrigation, much of the draft in the state is being carried out with the help of electric operated shallow tubewells getting power at subsidised rates; (iv) Increase in double-cropped area, irrigation intensity and area sown to paddy appear to have impinged upon the groundwater resource in Punjab; and (v) The widening gap between recharge and draft components of groundwater balance and consequent depletion of the resource would have serious technological, economic and social implications.