Punjab`s depleting groundwater stagnates agricultural growth
the Punjab state farmers commission has recently asked the state government to make delayed-sowing of rice mandatory. The move comes at a time when agriculture in Punjab is facing its worst spell since 1970. Last year, the state recorded 1.86 per cent growth in farming. Moreover, groundwater resources in the state have taken a sharp dip. In a desperate move to arrest the falling water table, the state electricity board restricted power supply to the farmers. Experts say the crops, if sowed late, consume less water, eventually helping in saving groundwater (see figure: Late remedy).
A guzzler called rice Experts cite many reasons to the fall of water table. The cultivation pattern