145;Groundwater depletion critical in state146;

Seventy-seven per cent of the total area of Punjab comes under the category of dark blocks...

Seventy-seven per cent of the total area of Punjab comes under the category of dark blocks, which means region where groundwater is being overexploited and has reached critical levels. This was stated at a workshop on guidelines for watershed development projects organised here today.

Punjab has a total area of 50.36 lakh hectares, of which 42 lakh hectares about 83 per cent is under cultivation. Of this, 40.35 lakh hectares is irrigated. Tubewells and canals account for irrigation of 29 lakh hectares and 11 lakh hectares, respectively.

The workshop was addressed by JS Samra, CEO of the National Rainfed Area Authority; NS Kang, Financial Commissioner, Development, Punjab; Srikant Walagad, Director and Special Secretary, Rural Development, Haryana, and AK Sondhi, Chief Conservator of Soils, Punjab.

8220;Punjab has three prominent regions: kandi, central Punjab and the south-western arid region. All have different problems. Kandi area of 5.38 lakh hectares is close to foothills and comprises five districts of Mohali, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ropar and Nawanshahr. The main problem here is that 80 per cent of the farmers come under small and medium category, which means they have less than two hectares of land and are vulnerable to flashfloods, which are common in this part,8221; said Sondhi.

He pointed out that the central part suffered from poor rainfall and poor groundwater replenishments due to increased cultivation of wheat and rice, while the farmers in south-western part faced problems of arid soil and canal seepage.

The Eleventh Five Year Plan envisages development of 27 sub watershed projects which would cover 30,000 hectares. Notably, in the Tenth Plan, 49 sub watershed projects were undertaken.

There would be other Central government projects too, including the Integrated Wasteland Development Project Scheme.

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Punjab produces 13 per cent of the total rice, 22 per cent of the total wheat and 13 per cent of total cotton output of India. State8217;s cropping intensity is as high as 189 per cent. But state8217;s agriculture pre-eminence is threatened by groundwater depletion and soil erosion. It is estimated that of the total 141 blocks in the state, 100 are facing critical groundwater depletion.