Born and raised in the fertile fields of Punjab, agriculture was an intrinsic part of Kahan Singh Pannu’s life from childhood.

Where fields once traditionally overflowed with lush green paddy during the monsoon season, a silent crisis is now unfolding beneath the soil. Often called the breadbasket of India, Punjab is facing a serious threat from rapidly depleting groundwater levels. Recent data from the Central Groundwater Board predicts that the state’s groundwater could drop below 1,000 feet by 2039.

“This is due to the state’s over-exploitation of groundwater, which has been happening for decades,” Kahan Singh points out.

Currently, rice is grown in 87 percent of Punjab’s total area during the Kharif season. The state is the highest extractor of groundwater in India, with 97 percent of it used for irrigation, mainly for paddy.

Kahan Singh was acutely aware of the water crisis plaguing the region, having witnessed firsthand the drastic decline in groundwater levels in his village, Jai Nagar.

The falling water table threatens not just crops but also entire communities whose livelihoods depend on agriculture.

Amidst this situation, Kahan Singh — a retired IAS officer with a strong background in agriculture — is bringing hope with his new method of growing paddy, one that dramatically reduces water usage to 25 percent.

Addressing the water crisis head-on

Kahan Singh, a 1996 batch IAS officer, retired in 2020 after a distinguished career, including serving as the Secretary of Agriculture for Punjab. “The water in Punjab’s aquifers is depleting at an unsustainable rate, largely due to paddy cultivation, which isn’t even native to the area. The data and observations over the past few decades........

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