-TheSundayGuardianLive.com Delhi’s problem of being covered by smoke started right after the Punjab Preservation of Subsoil Water Act in 2009, which delayed the burning of crops till late October, was implemented for the first time. Until a few years ago, when farmers in Punjab burnt the remnants of the rice crops in their fields in preparation for sowing wheat, the smoke from such fires was confined to Punjab. Back then, farmers burnt...
More »SEARCH RESULT
Paddy stubble: The 'burning' conundrum -Shailly Kedia
-The Times of India blog (Voices) Riding on the roads of rural Punjab, a grim spectre unfolds. It is early November and there is fire and smoke all around for the endless land that stretches ahead. It is paddy stubble burning time in the state. This phenomenon is not exceptional to the state of Punjab in India but is also prevalent in Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Recently, there has been much...
More »Drought kills 2.28 crore areca nut, coconut trees in Karnataka -Rakesh Prakash
-The Times of India BENGALURU: Successive droughts and depletion of groundwater table in Karnataka has destroyed a whopping 2.28 crore arecanut and coconut trees. "The state has witnessed low rainfall this year too and farmers are finding it difficult to source water even after drilling borewells up to 1,200 feet, the situation is getting worse," law minister T B Jayachandra told reporters here on Monday while pointing to an imminent horticultural crisis....
More »Punjab's water stress foregrounds tough policy trade-offs -Sanjiv Shankaran
-The Times of India blog A reply by Water Resources minister Uma Bharti to a Lok Sabha question on groundwater depletion foregrounds tough trade-offs facing India’s policymakers. According to Bharti, an assessment of groundwater resources and usage showed that 16% of 6,584 assessment units in India are “overexploited.” A table which accompanies her reply provides state-wise data. Here, Punjab stands out for the magnitude of overexploitation. If 16% of assessed units in India...
More »Ground water levels declining fast in Maharashtra -Zeeshan Shaikh
-The Indian Express The study compared pre-monsoon water level data for 1,487 wells selected from across Maharashtra with the decadal mean between 2006-2015. This study indicated a decline in ground water levels in 70 per cent of the wells monitored. Mumbai: The low intensity of rains across the state, especially in cities like Mumbai, may have led to consternation but Maharashtra faces a larger problem in the long run due to a...
More »