Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal today said that the state has registered a significant turnaround in its groundwater situation, with the latest 2026 assessment of the Central Ground Water Board showing, for the first time in decades, an improvement in groundwater levels. He said the stage of groundwater development has declined from 164% in 2022 to 152.22% in 2026, while the number of over-exploited assessment units has fallen from 117 to 110 and safe units have increased from 17 to 20.

Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan on Monday, Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, “The latest assessment of the Central Ground Water Board provides an important validation of the sustained efforts of the Punjab Government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann to conserve groundwater by taking canal water directly to agricultural fields.”

The Water Resources Minister said the latest groundwater data clearly reflects the impact of these interventions. “The annual groundwater extraction has declined from 28.02 BCM in 2022 to 26.32 BCM in the 2026 assessment, while the overall stage of groundwater development has also witnessed a substantial decline,” he added.

“This is a major development for Punjab. For decades, groundwater levels had been witnessing a continuous decline. For the first time, we have witnessed it rising,” said Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal.

He said Punjab has 153 groundwater assessment blocks categorised as Safe, Semi-Critical, Critical and Over-Exploited. “The latest assessment shows that several blocks that had earlier fallen in the Over-Exploited and Critical categories have improved and moved into better categories,” he added.

Giving details of the improvement, the Water Resources Minister noted 14 groundwater assessment blocks have changed their categorisation in comparison to 2025, including four blocks that have moved into the Safe category.

Arniwala Sheikh Subanpur in Fazilka has improved from Semi-Critical to Safe, with groundwater extraction declining from 73.34% in 2025 to 64.38% in 2026. Makhu in Ferozepur has moved from Semi-Critical to Safe, with extraction declining from 77.85% to 66.82%. Hajipur in Hoshiarpur has improved from Semi-Critical to Safe, with extraction declining from 81.67% to 62.16%, while Narot Jaimal Singh in Pathankot has moved from Semi-Critical to Safe, with extraction declining from 70.94% to 66.47%.

The remaining 10 blocks have also recorded improvement in their categorisation. Ferozepur has moved from Critical to Semi-Critical, with groundwater extraction declining from 94.49% to 76.66%; Mamdot has moved from Critical to Semi-Critical, with extraction declining from 99.85% to 86.59%; Gurdaspur has moved from Over-Exploited to Critical, with extraction declining from 110.70% to 92.93%; and Kahnuwan has moved from Over-Exploited to Critical, with extraction declining from 101.04% to 98.01%.

Similarly, Sri Hargobindpur has moved from Critical to Semi-Critical, with extraction declining from 95.53% to 75.54%; Bhunga from Critical to Semi-Critical, with extraction declining from 92.14% to 84.17%; Hoshiarpur-2 from Critical to Semi-Critical, with extraction declining from 97.81% to 78.53%; Mahilpur from Over-Exploited to Critical, with extraction declining from 109.86% to 92.23%; Kot Ise Khan (Dharamkot) in Moga from Over-Exploited to Critical, with extraction declining from 114.32% to 97.67%; and Aur in SBS Nagar from Critical to Semi-Critical, with extraction declining from 90.84% to 89.91%.

Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said another 95 blocks have also shown improvement to varying degrees. Consequently, 109 of the total 153 groundwater assessment blocks in Punjab have registered improvement, which he described as a significant achievement for the state.

Of these 95 blocks, three have recorded more than 30% improvement, seven have shown improvement between 20% and 30%, 23 have improved between 10% and 20%, while 62 have registered improvement between 0% and 10%.

The Water Resources Minister said the improvement in Punjab’s groundwater scenario has resulted from a combination of increased groundwater recharge and reduced groundwater extraction. “Improved utilisation of canal water, rehabilitation and expansion of irrigation infrastructure, water conservation and recharge measures have collectively contributed to the positive change,” he added.

He said the large-scale restoration of canals, rehabilitation and expansion of watercourses, laying of pipelines and ensuring that canal water reaches every tail-end field have further strengthened the state’s groundwater conservation efforts.

Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said, “The objective was clear: take canal water to the fields so that farmers do not have to depend entirely on groundwater. This is not merely an irrigation intervention; it is an effort to secure Punjab’s water reserves for future generations.”

He said the groundwater situation had become particularly alarming over the years as groundwater levels in Punjab continued to decline consistently. “The Punjab Government therefore adopted a focused strategy to increase utilisation of available canal water and strengthen the canal network across the state,” he added.

Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said canal water utilisation, which was only around 26% till 2022, has now increased to 82%. “To achieve this transformation, the Punjab Government has invested around ₹7,500 crore and constructed and strengthened thousands of kilometres of watercourses and other irrigation infrastructure,” he added.

He said efficient utilisation of Punjab’s share of water stored in the state’s reservoirs has also been made a key priority. “Punjab has 1,117 canals and minors, whose utilisation historically remained considerably below their designed carrying capacity,” he added.

Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said that while the carrying capacity of the canal system is around 36,000 cusecs, Punjab has been regularly supplying around 39,000 cusecs of canal water since June 1 this year. “The increased availability of canal water has enabled farmers in several areas to undertake paddy cultivation using canal water instead of extracting groundwater through tubewells,” he added.

He said taking canal water directly to agricultural fields has simultaneously helped conserve groundwater and reduce electricity consumption, with the state recording around 16% saving in electricity due to reduced dependence on groundwater extraction. “When canal water reaches the farmer’s field, it not only saves groundwater but also reduces the electricity required for pumping. This is a direct benefit for both the farmer and Punjab’s water resources,” said Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal.

The Water Resources Minister stated farmers are now witnessing the benefits of assured canal irrigation through improved availability of water for crops, while also reducing their dependence on electricity-intensive groundwater pumping.

He said increased groundwater recharge has also contributed to the improvement, with more than 510 recharge schemes installed across the state. “These include recharge through ponds, canal-based recharge structures and kambati wells. The schemes have together contributed around 38 lakh cubic metres of recharge, which is more than the storage capacity of Siswan Dam,” he added.

Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said the initiatives undertaken by the Punjab Government would further strengthen groundwater conservation and help reduce the stage of groundwater development in the coming years.

He emphasised that groundwater conservation is not merely an environmental necessity for Punjab but is directly linked with the country’s food security. “Punjab continues to make a major contribution to the Central Foodgrain Pool and has historically played a pivotal role in ensuring the country’s food security. Protecting groundwater is therefore directly connected with protecting the country’s food security,” said Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal.

He said that had the alarming depletion of groundwater continued unchecked, it could have posed a serious threat not only to Punjab’s agricultural economy but also to national food security. “The Punjab Government has therefore taken decisive steps to safeguard the state’s water resources while protecting the interests of future generations,” he added.

The Water Resources Minister said the latest groundwater findings are a source of encouragement for Punjab and strengthen the government’s resolve to further expand canal irrigation and groundwater conservation measures. “The Punjab Government under the leadership of CM Bhagwant Singh Mann remains committed to sustainable water management and securing the state’s agricultural future,” he added.

Prominent among those present were Sher Singh, Chief Engineer (Canal and Groundwater), Manoj Bansal, Superintendent Engineer (Groundwater), and senior officers of the Water Resources Department.

Following the Punjab University student union elections, where news of ABVP candidate Ankit Bidhan’s victory has emerged, the student team ASAP, associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, has announced that it will challenge the entire election and, specifically, the electoral eligibility of the ABVP candidate before the High Court.

ASAP said that even before the elections, it had formally informed the Punjab University administration about serious concerns about the eligibility of the ABVP candidate, academic record, alleged Unfair Means (UMC) case, eligibility to contest the elections, and documents. According to ASAP, the administration had also assured the team that the matter would be taken into cognizance, but no effective action was taken until the elections were completed.

ASAP said that the entire matter will now be placed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where the question will be raised as to how a candidate was allowed to contest the elections without deciding on serious objections regarding his eligibility that were already in the university’s knowledge.

“How can the result of an election where candidature was questioned before the elections be considered valid without an inquiry?”

ASAP alleged that there are serious facts concerning Ankit Bidhan’s academic and disciplinary record, which should have been considered as part of the electoral process. According to the team, Bidhan failed several examinations while pursuing LL.B. at Punjab University and also faced a case of Unfair Means, following which he was debarred from the university from 2023 to 2025.

ASAP also said that despite this, he later took admission to a PhD programme at Punjab University on the basis of an MA degree obtained from Gujarat’s Sabarmati University. The team has also raised serious questions regarding the eligibility for this admission and the validity of the related documents.

ASAP claimed that an independent and impartial inquiry into the candidate’s academic eligibility and documents was necessary, but despite these questions, he was allowed to contest the elections.

*Reference to Lyngdoh Committee Rules*

ASAP referred to the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations applicable to student elections and said that the university should have examined the candidate’s disciplinary and academic record in relation to electoral eligibility.

The team said that if a student has been debarred from the university on disciplinary grounds or there is a serious situation concerning his academic/disciplinary matters, then examination of his electoral eligibility cannot be treated as merely a formality.

“Our question is not about any particular individual, but about the fairness of the entire electoral process. If the rules are the same for all students, how can they be different for a candidate of a certain political organisation?” — ASAP

*Informed Administration Before Elections, Yet Elections Were Conducted: ASAP Team Will Now Seek Answers in Court*

ASAP said that the most serious question concerns the role of the Punjab University administration. The team claimed that before the elections, the administration had already been informed about all these objections and questions related to the documents, and the administration had said that it would look into the matter.

Despite this, the election process moved forward and voting was conducted.

ASAP said that there will now be no answer sought merely at the administrative level, but at the judicial level.

The team will soon approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court and seek that the candidate’s electoral eligibility, the documents submitted by him, and his alleged disciplinary record be subjected to a fair inquiry, and if any violation of election rules is found, an appropriate legal decision also be taken regarding the validity of the election result.

ASAP clarified that its agenda is not limited to the victory or defeat of any student organisation. The question is whether rules in university student elections will apply equally to everyone or whether different standards will be applied to some candidates on the basis of political influence.

ASAP said that if serious questions regarding a candidate’s eligibility had already been placed before the university administration before the elections, then conducting the elections without resolving them raises questions over the transparency of the entire process.

“If the documents are correct, there is no need to fear an inquiry. If the eligibility is valid, it will be proved in court as well. But it cannot be accepted that a victory is treated as the final truth even before an inquiry.”