Hey I’m Amrita, a 15 year old from the outskirts of Toronto, Canada; Brampton! For 2+ years- wow it’s been a long time 😅- I’ve researched into something called Nuclear Fusion: a potential energy source that’s abundant + clean compared to conventional fossil fuels. But, I’ve been playing around with my interests, and really wanted to go hard on a project that I felt emotionally connected to, one that was relevant to my Punjabi heritage. So, for the past few months, I’ve researched into the problem of groundwater depletion in Punjab. My intentions behind this project was wanting to make a real impact for my community, and it’s something I hope to continue and implement in the future.
<aside> 💦 For a more detailed & thorough explanation of this problem + solution, check out this external memo (same topic just far greater detail): Groundwater Depletion in Jalandhar, Punjab, India
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https://www.loom.com/share/832e5648c0e5471ea243b46925f0ba9e?sid=864c2672-6e08-44d8-9c66-f4663dc994a5
<aside> 🚜 Executive Summary: Groundwater depletion in Punjab, particularly in Jalandhar, has reached alarming levels, with extraction depths reaching 150-200 meters across central Punjab. This crisis is driven by the over-extraction of 14 billion cubic meters annually, and worsened by subsidized electricity and water-intensive rice cultivation. As a result, groundwater levels are predicted to drop below 300 meters by 2039, making it unusable. In Jalandhar alone, groundwater levels have fallen by over 20 meters in recent decades, forcing farmers to invest heavily in deeper wells and more powerful pumps. This over-reliance on groundwater, which supports over 60% of India's irrigation, has left 85.9% of Punjab's farming households in debt due to rising irrigation costs and threatens an annual financial shortfall of around 79 billion INR in the agricultural sector.
Farmers in Punjab use excessive groundwater for rice cultivation through traditional flood irrigation methods, which are highly inefficient and lead to significant water wastage. The over-reliance of flood irrigation results in up to 40% water loss due to evaporation, runoff, and seepage, worsening the issue of groundwater depletion.
My hypothesis proposes using a type or irrigation called Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), combined with paddy straw mulching to address groundwater depletion in Jalandhar, Punjab. AWD reduces water use by allowing soil to dry between irrigations, and mulching retains soil moisture, reduces evaporation, and maintains soil temperature. This method is needed due to the inefficiency of traditional flood irrigation, which wastes significant water and depletes groundwater. By implementing AWD and mulching, water required for rice production can be cut by about 57.75%, reducing groundwater strain, saving farmers money, and improving crop yields and soil health.
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Punjab's groundwater levels are expected to drop below 300 meters by 2039, and the state’s usable groundwater will become contaminated and not fit for irrigation or drinking.
The state of Punjab is over-extracting 14 billion cubic meters of groundwater every year just to sustain its current cropping pattern. This massive extraction is driven by the cultivation of water-intensive crops such as paddy (rice), which has led to a significant reliance on groundwater irrigation. In fact, over 60% of India’s total irrigation is groundwater-fed. This over-reliance on groundwater has created an unsustainable situation that threatens the future of agriculture, water security, and the livelihoods of Punjabi farmers.
“Ours was the first family in the village to use a motor, in 1963, for irrigating 16.6 acres of land. The water used to be at eight feet in the well then,” said Bhajan Singh (62). “By 2000, when the land was divided between us brothers, the water level had plummeted below 80 feet, making it impossible for the monoblock motor to function. The level of groundwater has been dipping even further since then.”
Groundwater has a direct impact on agricultural production, influencing how crops are cultivated. Any fluctuations in groundwater levels can affect the number of crops being farmed, which in turn impacts overall agricultural output. When groundwater levels drop, farmers are more likely to invest more in digging deeper wells and installing more powerful pump systems to access water for irrigation. These increased costs adds to the financial burden on farmers.
Image/quote credits: Sanskriti Talwar
Sukhwinder Singh of Mubarakpur village in Malerkotla district spent over Rs 4 lakh ($4,816.23 USD) in 20 years on digging three tube wells.
According to a 2017 study, around 85.9% of farming households in Punjab are under debt due to rising input costs, including the expenses associated with groundwater overexploitation. The reliance on groundwater irrigation is huge, with over 60% of India’s total irrigation being groundwater dependant. This over-reliance increases the financial strain on farmers as they struggle with the costs of deeper wells and more expensive irrigation systems.
