Dry Canals. In March. And summer has yet to begin.
Farmers committing suicide.
Not a description of what you might expect of Punjab. And yet, that is the truth.

Marching along the Grand Trunk Road, along with the India-Pakistan Peace March, canal after bone dry canal was the usual sight. Not just dry – implying lack of surface water. But dry implying lack of even sub-surface water, implying just barren canal beds.

In Sangrur district of Punjab, farmers’ suicides have reached epidemic proportions with numerous children having lost both their parents. Drinking pesticides is becoming the only solution to increase indebtedness and the inability to support families through agrarian livelihoods. Estimates suggest that over 10000 farmers have committed suicide in the last few years.

The increased indebtedness has affected agriculture as well . Almost entire villages are for sale in many of these districts. Bhutal Kulan, a village in Sangrur district, comprising around 1,000 acres of land, is up for sale. Local farmers, heavily indebted to moneylenders and corporate banks, are selling their land holdings at a pittance. It’s the same story in neighbouring Bhutal Khor which has over 1,200 acres of land. Practically the entire village is up for sale. And the story repeats it self in Haryana as well.

Agricultural livelihoods are being severely affected by falling water levels. Subsurface water levels have fallen from few feet to over 50 feet. Within a span of a decade. Farmers are forced to use submersible pumps. Some blame the planting of eucalyptus and poplars – quick growing varieties, grown for wood. But water intensive farming of wheat and paddy crops through out the year is as much to blame. It is estimated that Punjab had about 35 million acres feet (MAF)

The rapidly decreasing water level also affects soil salinity, toxicity, micronutrient deficiency and waterlogging in some areas – issues that are not even being addressed.

Punjab today is caught in a bind. Present agricultural practices have seen stagnation in crop yields and a sharp decline in water resources. So much so that experts point out that while in 1955 Punjab had 34.8 million acres feet (MAF) of water, today it is left with only 12.8 MAF. Its present requirements are over 36.5 MAF.

It is in such a scenario that the Johl Committee has suggested diversification of crops grown to include oilseeds, sunflower, soybean, barley, maize – all of which would help reduce the demand for water. However, this has given rise to an outcry with numerous groups arguing that the Punjabi farmers cannot now farm at a subsistence level eking their livelihoods with supplements of chicken and dairy – they are used to being wealthy farmers.
Professor Ranjit Singh Ghuman of the department of economics at Punjab University, Patiala, told Infochange: “The water table is fast going down because of paddy cultivation. Punjab is facing an ecological crisis. Rice is not a traditional crop in Punjab and the rice fields here are consuming 85% of all freshwater supplies. A proposed change in crop patterns will save Rs 10,000 crore in procurement, handling and storage costs.”
The Johl committee has recommended the Centre to pay a subsidy of Rs 12,500 per hectare to farmers who agreed to the switchover. However, the government has so far been resistant to these subsidies, which will amount annually to Rs. 1000 crore. The farming community has also made it quite clear that it is unlikely to change its crop patterns unless a support price is paid.

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