The groundwater resource in Punjab is depleting at an alarming rate. Not only depletion, even the quality of water has suffered to a great extent due to its overexploitation. The fall in level of water table has been drastic from 8cm per year to 95 cm per year. The districts suffering from poor water quality include Bathinda, Sangrur, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Groundwater in these districts has high levels of salinity and fluoride content. Experts point that water guzzling paddy crop and spurt in the use of heavy-duty tubewells in the state are deepening the crisis. There are more than 11 lakh tubewells in the state (around 8 lakh electrical and 4 lakh diesel-operated).

Ropar: Despite massive investments in plantations for the past more than 10 years, Punjab continues to have one of the lowest forest cover in the country in terms of percentage. It has just 3.09 per cent area under forest as per the latest report of the Forest Survey of India. As per the last one also Punjab was at the bottom in terms of area under forests. As per the latest survey just Delhi had the lower forest cover than Punjab in terms of area under green cover. As per the latest report Rajasthan and Haryana have performed better than Punjab. Rajasthan has 4.63 per cent of its total area under forests while Haryana has 3.59 per cent.

The filthy tank of a water filtration plant at Jajjal village in Talwandi Sabo block has been lying dry for the past two months and (right) selling drinking water is brisk business in many villages of Talwandi Sabo block.

Whilst Punjab river waters are being given away to other states through canals, Punjab's farmers are suffering through lack of drinking and farming water. See article below. According to British University studies, the continuing fall in Punjab’s water table means that it will become a desert by year 2030. Source: Kashmir Singh LL.B, LL.M, C.Eng, Project Management NVQ; former member of statutory OFWAT water industry customer services committee for England and Wales, IEE Council

Workforce of Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal blocks a portion of the Kala Sanghian drain at Nahal village in Jalandhar district on Friday.

Jalandhar: It took barely 15 minutes for residents and a dera team today to stop the discharge of toxic water from the local tanneries towards their villages. The district administration had failed to take up this task for the past many years despite repeated representations. Carrying out an exemplary eco-drive for the welfare of over 70 villages falling along the Kala Sanghian drain, a dedicated workforce of environmentalist Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal blocked a portion at Nahal village here by creating a barrier across the points from where the untreated waste from surgical and leather complex was being released via several low-lying outlets.

Amritsar: The Pingalwara Society here today received flak from the general public and various social organisations for axing more than 100-year-old trees in the Pingalwara complex. The society has chopped four trees, including a peepal and a banyan, in the front courtyard of the complex for constructing waiting rooms for donors of the charitable society.