Dr Singh further noted that large scale adoption of rice-wheat cropping system in Punjab had created serious problems of over-exploitation of ground water resources resulting in a falling water table in the entire sweet ground water zone at an average rate of 23 cm per year during the last 15 years. Out of 118 blocks in the state, there were 63 blocks in which the extent of over-exploitation was more than 100 per cent of the annual net recharge. Over-exploitation is due to increase in area under rice and increase in number of tubewells from 1.92 lakh in 1970-71 to 8.95 lakh in 1996-97.

If this trend is allowed to proceed unchecked, it may create a serious situation of acute water shortage which may hit hard, the agricultural production in the state, he said. Dr Singh observed that even the modest population growth scenario predicted that by 2025, India's population of 1.4 billion would require more than 300 million tonnes of food. The consumption of pesticides in Punjab on per hectare basis is the highest at 0.986 kg/ha as against about 0.5 kg/ha on an all India basis.