Chandigarh, May 26, 2013: The Punjab government has issued directives for the farmers of the state to use ground water for irrigation purposes with utmost care and prudence.
Advisory has been issued not to irrigate the open fields in advance before the cultivation of crop. The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to ensure the compliance and take punitive actions if any case of misuse of ground water comes to their notice.
This was disclosed by Sohan Singh Thandal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Irrigation. He said that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is very much concerned about the depletion of ground water table in the state. He said pursing the directions of Chief Minister an advisory to the farmers of the state has been issued. He said that farmers have been asked to shun the traditional and irrelevant methods of irrigation. He said that in this regard the use of ground water to irrigate the open fields, sans crops, has strictly been banned in the state. He said that district administration would be held responsible for any reported case of misuse of ground water.
Thandal said that the depletion of ground water of Punjab has reached at alarming stage. He said that 100 Blocks have already been demarked in dark zone, wherein the sub-soil water was not even fit for human consumption. He said that state government time and again appealed the farmers to opt for cash crops like; pulses and vegetables, besides adopting subsidiary occupations like; fishery, dairy farming, poultry and emu farming to supplement their income. He said that the Government has been giving subsidies to the farmers in order to encourage them to adopt subsidiary occupations.
He said that the reckless and undue use of ground water, pesticides and fertilizers would lead the state to bleak future. Chief Parliamentary Secretary said that the Punjab Government was chalking out an elaborate policy to recharge the ground water, besides strengthening the canals’ embankment to check the seepage.