‘State’s water deficit grows as demand overshoots’

He added that the Sub-soil Conservation Act passed by the Punjab government under which paddy transplantation has been banned before June 10 has helped to preserve groundwater but it was not enough to arrest the fall in water table.

He was addressing the delegates at a one-day workshop organised by the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research Institute.

At the workshop,experts called for greater sensitisation of stakeholders towards over-exploitation of natural resources and inform them about projects and technologies being implemented for soil and water conservation.

They said that about 10 per cent of Punjab’s area falls in the kandi mountainous belt that suffers from problems of soil erosion,erratic rainfall,flash floods,water scarcity,frequent droughts,poor soil fertility and moisture stress. The large non-kandi area has problems of stagnated yields while in the south-western belt,large tracts are affected by water-logging,salinity and alkalinity.

To deal with these problems,the department listed 11 initiatives being undertaken under various programmes and schemes of central and state governments such as rainwater harvesting,laser levelling,tapping of hill seepage besides drip and micro irrigation. Farmers,he said,are also being provided up to 85 per cent subsidy on micro irrigation (drip and sprinklers) and 50 per cent subsidy on underground pipeline systems.

Though the funds received under MNREGA are not substantial,they are being used for restoration of ponds,desilting and repair of old wells,land development and plantation of trees,the department said.