In Punjab, water scarcity is continuously deepening. On the question of MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal in the Lok Sabha, the Union Ministry of Water Power has informed that 19 districts of the state have been placed in ‘over-exclusive’ and Ropar have been placed in the ‘critical’ category.
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This classification has been done by the Central Ground Water Board on the basis of a decline in ground water level, regional status and aspiring districts under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan 2025.
The 20 districts where groundwater conditions are worrisome include Amritsar, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Malerkotla, Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Mohali, Nawanshahar, Sangrur and Taran Taran.
Groundwater is being exploited excessively for agriculture, domestic and industrial needs in these areas, due to which Punjab may face serious water crisis in the coming time.
Jal Shakti Kendra Mansa.
1186 crore spent on Punjab in 5 years To promote water conservation in Punjab, the Central Government has spent Rs 1,186.06 crore under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan in the last five years. “Water harvesting public participation: Public awareness” aims to promote water conservation, community participation and better coordination of government schemes.
Out of this amount, 417.96 crore on renewal of traditional water sources, 337.49 crore on watershed development, 338.40 crore on dense forest, 85.02 crore on water conservation and rainwater harvesting, while Rs 7.19 crore has been spent on groundwater recharge structures. Apart from this, an amount of 25 lakhs has also been released for the GIS mapping of water scheme and water bodies at the district level.
Jal Shakti Kendra established in 23 districts In the last five years, 1.09 lakh water conservation works have been done in Punjab and Jal Shakti Kendra (JSK) has been established in all 23 districts. Each district has also prepared its water conservation plan. Although water is a matter of states, the central government is strengthening the efforts of the states by giving technical and financial support.
According to the Ministry of Water Power, 1.87 crore water conservation activities have been completed across the country by 26 July 2025 and 712 Jal Shakti Kendras have been established.
Need to control ground water exploitation Experts believe that if the speed of groundwater exploitation continues in this way, Punjab can face a serious water crisis in the next few years. In such a situation, there is a need to take concrete steps towards permanent water management keeping rainwater harvesting, subtle irrigation, crop cycle change and public participation in the center.