New Delhi, December 12
The level of groundwater is critical in many districts of Punjab and it is likely that future generations could face scarcity if the current trend is anything to go by. This was disclosed today by the Minister of State (MoS) for Jal Shakti, Bishweswar Tudu, in a reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
The question was asked by Raghav Chadha, MP from Punjab.
The home district of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Sangrur, is among the worst affected areas. The water level has dipped into the ‘very deep’ category in the district. The MoS, in his reply to the questions, said the groundwater level in Sangrur (November 2021) was more than 47 metre below the ground level.
A state subject
Water is a state subject. However, the Central Government has taken up initiatives for the sustainable management of groundwater in Punjab. —Bishweswar Tudu, MOS for Jal Shakti
Of the 24 ground wells meant to monitor the level, 13 had the level which was judged to be in the ‘very deep’ water category (20-40), while 11 wells reported very critical ground water level. Mansa, Barnala, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana, covering the majority of the Malwa region, have reported ‘very deep’ water level.
Tudu said the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) was periodically monitoring the groundwater levels throughout the Country, including Punjab, on a regional scale, through a network of monitoring wells.
When asked about the steps taken to address the water scarcity and pollution problem in the state, he said water being a state subject, water scarcity and pollution problems fall under the states’ mandate. However, the Central Government had taken up a number of initiatives for the sustainable management of groundwater, said the MoS.
