ISRAEL-BASED COMPANY’S MASTERPLAN SOON TO SOLVE PUNJAB’S GROUNDWATER CRISIS

Punjab will implement the Isreal born master plan for the water conservation management of the State as it has been evitably suffering from critical groundwater crisis for a decade. In a bid to eradicate this emerging crisis of water Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, signed a Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Israel-based Mekorot Water Company to handle this crisis. Now, Mekorot water company has done its survey in Punjab and submitted around five reports for further Masterplan action.

As per the latest research carried out by the Department of Soil and Water Engineering, PAU, Ludhiana, Punjab India. Total groundwater withdrawal in the state is 35.78 BCM, out of which 1.22 BCM is for domestic and industrial use, and 34.56 BCM is for meeting crop water requirements. The net annual replenishable groundwater availability is 21.58 BCM, thereby leaving an annual groundwater deficit of 14.71 BCM.

The Research further says that In the areas with high over-exploitation viz. Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, and Jullundur districts, where the water level decline does not match the groundwater extraction. There is more than 80 percent of districts in the state are in the danger zone in terms of the lowest groundwater availability.

The Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Corporation awarded the Water Conservation and Management Master Plan for the State of Punjab to M/s Mekorot water company Ltd, Israel National Water Company, by signing an MoU in the year 2019 to deal with the problems of falling water table, increasing surface water pollution and waterlogging in southwest Punjab, etc.

As per officials, the Water Conservation and Management Master Plan is divided into six reports out of which five no of reports have been submitted by the M/s Mekorot Team. Out of the five reports, four reports i.e. Study of the Current State of Punjab Water Sector, Water Resources Potential and Projections, Sectorial Water Demand Projections, Water-based Economy Regulations have been approved by the Core team of the State Government. The fifth report i.e. Water Balance and Alternative Water Supply team are currently in the process of approval.

The final reports shall be submitted by M/s Mekorot to Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority for implementation of the State Water Conservation Plan.

Karan Avtar Singh, IAS, Chairman, Punjab Water Regulation and Development Authority, Government of Punjab, says, “this case is handled by the department of water resources, we are expecting to have a complete report from the department soon to implement the conservation plan further in the state.”