While the cultivation of paddy in Punjab (and Haryana) does need some curbing, the extreme forebodings of either total groundwater exhaustion in Punjab or of the state turning into a desert of paddy growing is not curbed forthwith are unwarranted.

Groundwater plays a critical role in the agricultural economy of Gujarat state. The lack of surface water resources has put more pressure on groundwater to meet both agriculture as well as industrial and domestic sector demand. More than 90 per cent of the total irrigated area is covered through groundwater source in the region. The groundwater development in the region has taken place in an exponential manner. There is heavy overdraft, exceeding the annual rechargeable capacity in some areas.