DW BUREAU / Chandigarh The Punjab Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution unanimously advising the state government to take effective steps to raise the underground water level to save the state from turning into "barren land." Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana K P Singh also announced to form a committee of the House to give a report on the status of underground water level and suggest measures in this regard. In the ongoing Budget session, the Speaker also asked the state government to direct the principal secretary of water resources to assist the committee, which will submit its report within three months. The assembly took the steps with legislators noting that unless effective measures are taken to arrest the fast-depleting underground water level in the state, Punjab would turn into barren land. Cutting across the party lines, the members of the House expressed concern over the falling underground water level in the state and suggested measures like crop diversification, rainwater harvesting and drip irrigation to be undertaken for saving water. They also highlighted that 109 out of 138 blocks in the state had turned into "dark zones" where the underground water level had depleted ominously. Participating in the discussion on the resolution on the underground water level, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said it was being spread that Punjab had surplus water. But about 80 per cent of the state's irrigation requirement was met by the underground water while remaining through the canal water, he said. Quoting research outcome of agriculture experts, Badal said for growing one kg of paddy, 5,000 litres of water is required and similarly, 3,000 litres of water is needed for one kg of wheat. "We sell wheat and paddy to FCI (Food Corporation of India) for Rs 70,000 to 80,000 crore every year. We should understand that Punjab is not selling wheat and paddy but it is selling its water. At what rate? It is one paisa per litre," he said. He also named Israel and praised it for developing technologies relating to water. He underscored the need for getting out of the wheat-paddy rotation and encourage other crops which could generate more income for farmers. Earlier, Congress legislator Kuldeep Singh Vaid expressed concern over depleting underground water level in the state and said the way water was being extracted, the state will turn into a "barren land" by the year 2040. Then farmers will be forced to grow chickpea and groundnut, he said. Vaid then requested the Speaker to form a House panel on the issue of the underground water level. Congress legislator Rana Gurjit Singh expressed concern over the extraction of underground water and its less recharging. He also emphasised the use of direct seeding rice technology which consumes lesser water and yields more crop. "We need to change the cropping practices," he asserted.Akali legislator Harinderpal Singh Chandumajra emphasised crop diversification and said maize crop should be promoted in the state. He told the state food minister to include maize in the Centre's coarse grain PDS procurement scheme. Chandumajra said 34 billion cubic meters of water was being extracted every year and only 20 BCM was getting recharged. He also said dropping water level was also one of the reasons for the state's farmers' plight. He said there are 14.50 lakh tubewells in the state, saying 14 litres of underground water was being drawn in one second. Aam Aadmi Party legislator and Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and rebel AAP legislator Kanwar Sandhu lamented that the state government had failed to implement an agriculture policy the draft of which was already prepared. Sandhu also spoke on rainwater harvesting as a measure to conserve water. SAD legislator Gurpartap Singh Wadala dubbed the underground level situation as "grave and serious" and urged the government to take necessary steps in this regard. (editor@dailyworld.in)