Chandigarh, Dec. 16 -- At a time when Punjab has emerged as one of the most groundwater-stressed states in the country, the state government has cleared a Rs.1.61-crore micro-level scientific study to examine sub-soil water resources and seepage patterns.

The approval comes in the backdrop of fresh central data revealing Punjab's extreme groundwater crisis. According to figures presented in the Rajya Sabha earlier this week, Punjab is extracting far more groundwater each year than can be sustainably replenished.

In a written reply to a question by Rajya Sabha member Balbir Singh Seechewal, minister of state for Jal Shakti Raj Bhusan Choudhary cited the latest assessment of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), which shows that Punjab's...