This morning, at 10:21 AM, Punjab officially kicked off its paddy transplantation season—a seasonal ritual that reaffirms the state’s reputation as India’s rice bowl. But buried beneath this agricultural triumph lies an invisible catastrophe: Punjab is virtually exporting 36 trillion liters of water every year through its rice crop. This is not just an environmental red flag—it’s a full-blown emergency which is being masqueraded as success under so called “green revolution”.
The Scale of the Silent Exodus
Punjab produces around 180 Lakh tonnes of rice annually. Each kilogram of rice consumes an average of 2000 to 3,000 liters of water. That means:
18,000,000,000 kg×3,000 liters/kg=54,000,000,000,000 liters
We take a conservative figure of 36 trillion liters (@ 2000 litre per Kg) which is “virtually exported” from Punjab, according to global studies of virtual water trade. This is water embedded in agricultural commodities, shipped out to other states and countries, leaving Punjab’s aquifers emptier with each passing season.
Four Bhakra Dams, Gone Every Year
To grasp the enormity of this figure, consider the Bhakra Dam, one of the largest in India, with a full capacity of 9.34 billion cubic meters—9.34 trillion liters. Punjab’s virtual water export equals:
36/9.34≈3.85
That’s nearly four Bhakra Dams drained every year—not for local consumption, but to feed a national grain procurement system that demands Punjab grow what it cannot sustain.
Submerging Chandigarh: A Visual Metaphor
To make this even more tangible: Chandigarh, Punjab’s shared capital, covers 114 square kilometers (114 sq Kilometer). If the 36 trillion liters were poured over it, the city would drown under:
36,000,000,000 Cubic Meter/114,000,000 Meter Square ≈315.8 meters
That’s enough water to:
Submerge Qutub Minar (73m) over four times
Reach the top of the Eiffel Tower (324m), just 8 meters short
Climb 38% up the Burj Khalifa (828m)
This isn’t apocalyptic fantasy—it’s the hidden cost of our current food security model.
A Global Outlier in Water Stress
Punjab’s water use is out of step even by global standards. In 2015, the United States used 162 trillion liters annually for agricultural irrigation. Punjab alone uses over a fifth of that—despite being smaller than many U.S. counties.
In California, agriculture consumes around 41.9 trillion liters annually. Punjab, with a fraction of California’s landmass and GDP, uses nearly as much. This is not efficiency—it’s systemic failure.
A Crisis Beneath the Surface
Punjab’s water table is collapsing. A 2019 study in Nature Geoscience showed the Indo-Gangetic plains are losing 19.2 gigatons of groundwater annually. According to The Tribune (May 31, 2025), each of Punjab’s 14 lakh tubewells extracts over 30 lakh liters per week, powered by free electricity. With power demand now exceeding 17,000 MW, Punjab is bleeding water and energy in equal measure.
This is unsustainable. Aquifers take centuries to replenish. Once gone, they don’t come back.
What Must Change
Experts at the Borlaug Institute for South Asia (BISA) recommend reducing paddy cultivation by 50%, replacing it with less water-intensive crops like maize. This shift could slash water use by 30% and maintain farmer incomes—if backed by robust procurement, assured MSP, and crop diversification incentives.
California’s SGMA (Sustainable Groundwater Management Act) offers a working template, targeting a 20% reduction in agricultural water use by 2040, with incentives and regulation in tandem.
Punjab must not just follow—it must lead. Because it has no choice.Punjab’s paddy fields cost it 36 trillion liters of water annually—nearly four Bhakra Dams lost in silence