Chandigarh, August 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab has recorded an improvement in its groundwater situation for the first time in decades, with the latest 2026 assessment of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) showing a decline in the stage of groundwater development and improvement in several assessment blocks, Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal said on Monday.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, Goyal said the stage of groundwater development had declined from 164 per cent in 2022 to 152.22 per cent in 2026, while annual groundwater extraction fell from 28.02 billion cubic metres (BCM) to 26.32 BCM.
The number of over-exploited groundwater assessment units has also declined from 117 to 110, while safe units have increased from 17 to 20.
“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,” Goyal said.
He said Punjab has 153 groundwater assessment blocks classified as Safe, Semi-Critical, Critical and Over-Exploited. As many as 14 blocks changed category compared with 2025, including four that moved into the Safe category.
Arniwala Sheikh Subanpur in Fazilka, Makhu in Ferozepur, Hajipur in Hoshiarpur and Narot Jaimal Singh in Pathankot moved from Semi-Critical to Safe. Ten other blocks also improved, including Gurdaspur and Kahnuwan, which moved from Over-Exploited to Critical, and Ferozepur and Mamdot, which moved from Critical to Semi-Critical.
Goyal said another 95 blocks had registered improvement to varying degrees, taking the total number of blocks showing improvement to 109.
He attributed the change to increased canal-water utilisation, groundwater recharge, rehabilitation and expansion of irrigation infrastructure and water conservation measures.
According to the minister, canal-water utilisation has increased from around 26 per cent in 2022 to 82 per cent. The state has invested around ₹7,500 crore in expanding and strengthening the canal network, including watercourses and other irrigation infrastructure.
He said Punjab has 1,117 canals and minors and, despite a canal-system carrying capacity of around 36,000 cusecs, the state has been supplying around 39,000 cusecs of canal water regularly since June 1.
The increased availability of canal water has enabled farmers in several areas to use it for paddy cultivation instead of relying on tubewells, resulting in an estimated 16 per cent saving in electricity consumption, Goyal said.
He added that more than 510 groundwater recharge schemes have been installed across Punjab through ponds, canal-based recharge structures and recharge wells. These initiatives have collectively contributed around 38 lakh cubic metres of groundwater recharge.
Goyal said groundwater conservation was essential not only for Punjab’s agricultural economy but also for national food security, given the state’s contribution to the Central Foodgrain Pool.
He said the latest assessment had encouraged the state government to further expand canal irrigation, recharge measures and sustainable water-management initiatives.
Among those present at the press conference were Sher Singh, Chief Engineer (Canal and Groundwater), Manoj Bansal, Superintendent Engineer (Groundwater), and senior officers of the Water Resources Department.
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