By Satyanarayan Mohapatra and Dr. Mahabir S Jaglan
Punjab, is facing a silent crisis that's threatening to turn its fertile fields into barren wastelands. In the Abohar region, farmers are witnessing a disturbing phenomenon: the groundwater, once a source of life, is now rising, bringing with it a deadly dose of salinity.
The aftermath of the monsoons has revealed a grim reality. Large patches of land, once teeming with cotton, kinnow, and even newly introduced paddy crops, are now submerged under a layer of brackish water. The water table, already high due to years of unsustainable agricultural practices and poor drainage, has been further exacerbated by this year's heavy rainfall.
The consequences are devastating. The saline water, unfit for irrigation, not only destroys existing crops but also renders the soil barren, making it unsuitable for future cultivation. The once-thriving farmlands are gradually turning into salt marshes, leaving farmers in a state of despair.
The crisis is particularly acute in villages like Patti Billa, Dalmirkhera, Sappanwali, Giddranwali, and Daulatpura, where farmers are grappling with the harsh reality of their shrinking livelihoods. The kinnow orchards, once a source of pride, are being uprooted due to the combined onslaught of salinity and plant diseases. The hopes pinned on the newly introduced paddy crop are also fading as the rising water table threatens its survival.
The farmers, deeply concerned about their future, have raised their voices in protest, demanding urgent action from the authorities. While the government has initiated surveys to assess the damage, the farmers feel that more needs to be done to address the root causes of the problem.
The issue of rising saline water levels in Punjab is a complex one, with multiple contributing factors. Unplanned urbanization, inefficient irrigation practices, and the lack of proper drainage systems have all played a role in exacerbating the problem. Climate change, with its unpredictable rainfall patterns, has further compounded the crisis.
Prof Mahavir S Jaglan opined, “The Abohar area of Punjab is a semi-arid area adjoining Thar Desert of India. It has been dominantly a canal irrigated area as groundwater is saline and not usable for irrigation. It has obstruction in both horizontal and vertical drainage. It is underlain by shallow layers of kankar (calcium carbonate) and clay where intensive canal irrigation has created the conditions of water logging and soil salinity. The perched water table formed over shallow kankar or clay layer due to intensive irrigation or rain has risen up and brought up the soluble salts from the lower horizon of soil profile. It has created the twin environmental problem of water logging (bringing up the saline water to the root zone of crops) and salinity (concentration of soluble salts on land surface due to capillary action). This has rendered a big chunk of land in the area cultivable waste.
This twin environmental problem has particularly arisen since replacement of cotton by paddy cultivation in this area. Cotton cultivation which did not require intensive canal irrigation has failed in this region during last few years due to attack of insects/pests Pink Bollworm and Saunders on Bt cotton. So the farmers have abandoned cotton cultivation at large scale and shifted to paddy which is a water guzzling crop. The farmers have resorted to intensive irrigation to meet the water requirement of paddy. It is the intensive irrigation and spells of heavy rains that have created the twin environmental problem of water logging and soil salinity in this area. So paddy cultivation is not ecologically sustainable and it has to be replaced by the remunerative crops with low water requirements.
The impact of this environmental disaster extends beyond the agricultural sector. The contamination of groundwater with fluoride and traces of uranium poses a serious health risk to the local population. The loss of fertile land also threatens food security and economic stability in the region.
It's time for urgent and concerted action. Sustainable agricultural practices, improved water management, and investment in efficient drainage systems are crucial to mitigate the impact of rising saline water levels. The government, along with farmers and experts, must work together to find long-term solutions to this pressing issue.
The fate of Punjab's farmlands hangs in the balance. It is a crisis that demands immediate attention and a commitment to sustainable practices to ensure a secure future for the farmers and the generations to come.
#PunjabFarmers #Waterlogging #SaveOurSoil #ClimateChangeImpact
Dr Mahabir S. Jaglan, Former Professor of Geography, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Email: [email protected]
