At 156.87%, groundwater extraction highest in Punjab: Report
Bathinda: Punjab is grappling with an alarming groundwater crisis, according to the latest State of India's Environment 2025 report by an environmental NGO.
The report, released ahead of World Environment Day on June 5 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down to Earth, highlights that over 75% of Punjab's blocks are classified as overexploited, with groundwater extraction soaring to 156.87%—the highest in the country.
Punjab also faces widespread contamination of its groundwater with toxic elements such as uranium, arsenic, and nitrate, affecting nearly all its districts, according to the report.
The number of districts with groundwater levels deeper than 40 metres rose from three in 2014 to 11 in 2024 in Punjab, while those with shallower water tables have declined.
Punjab also suffers from severe contamination issues. Nine of its 23 districts show abnormal salinity levels; 17 report fluoride anomalies; uranium contamination affects 20 districts; nitrate and iron pollutants appear in 20 and 18 districts, respectively; and arsenic contamination is present in 12 districts, according to the report.
The report further said that Punjab, alongside Ladakh, ranks lowest in the country for tree and forest cover.
At the national level, India, according to the report, has witnessed a decline in agricultural land from 62.33% in 1952-53 to 58.69% in 2022-23, driven by population growth, rapid urbanisation, and industrialisation. Irrigation has increasingly shifted towards tubewell dependence, rising from 0.55% in 1960-61 to 43.34% in 2022-23, with Punjab among 10 states relying almost entirely on tubewells for irrigating farmland.
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