Haryana’s groundwater crisis heads for point of no return

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Editor's note: This is the third edition of Thirty-six, The Morning Context's weekly newsletter on countless ecosystems in flux across India. “Ib ke kahoon bhaiji. Pehle jo pani pachees-tees foot pe mil jata tha, ib sau foot pe bhi nahi milta. (Things are bad. Earlier, we would find water at 25-30 feet below the ground. Now even at 100 feet it is hard to find.)” Ramesh Singh from Karnal, Haryana, is worried about the future and he isn’t alone. Across the state, like in neighbouring Punjab, farmers are spooked by the alarming pace of groundwater depletion over the years. According to the Central Ground Water Authority, 85 out of 141 blocks in Haryana are currently in the red category. Last year, this number was reported to be 78, and in 2004, 55. Over the last decade, 76% of Haryana has witnessed a decline in groundwater levels. The rapid depletion has now become a cause for concern in 14 out of Haryana’s 22 districts. So 10 days ago, the state government announced a slew of measures to reduce the speed of depletion of …