The Punjab government has recently approved a pilot project for the Lahore, Gujranwala, and Gujrat divisions, with an allocation of Rs730 million under the Annual Development Programme. The project’s core intervention is the construction of groundwater recharge boreholes on farmers’ fields under a costsharing arrangement.
This project has been widely welcomed by farmers, unlike many headline- grabbing initiatives that rarely address the structural constraints facing Punjab’s agriculture sector. The project is expected to address two structural challenges that threaten the long-term sustainability of Punjab’s agriculture: the increasingly inadequate drainage of excess rainwater from cultivated lands; and the rapid depletion of groundwater.
Although these two challenges appear distinct, they are closely interlinked.
Until a few years ago, a network of natural waterways carried rainwater from agricultural fields to drains, rivers, and ultimately the sea. Over time, however, this natural drainage system has been severely disrupted by illegal encroachments on waterways, unplanned urban and rural expansion, poorly designed highways and rural roads lacking adequate culverts, inadequate maintenance and desilting of drains, and the large-scale excavation of agricultural land by the construction industry and thousands of brick kilns in search of fill material and clay. Much of this damage is now irreversible, making it unrealistic to restore these natural waterways to their original condition.
Constructing groundwater recharge boreholes is a step in the right direction
Consequently, heavy rainfall results in prolonged waterlogging, not only in low-lying areas but also in fields that were once considered well-drained. Intense rainfall events now leave agricultural land submerged for several days. The resulting standing water causes significant crop losses, particularly to sesame, cotton, vegetables, and several other water-sensitive crops.
The problem has been further compounded by climate change, which has fundamentally altered Punjab’s rainfall pattern. In the past, rainfall was generally spread over several days in moderate spells. Today, however, downpours of 100 to 200 millimetres (4–8 inches) within a few hours have become increasingly frequent.
Moreover, the annual number of rainfall events exceeding 100 millimetres has also increased substantially.
Under such conditions, soils — particularly the clay soils that dominate several districts — are unable to absorb rainfall rapidly enough, while the degraded natural waterways are no longer capable of carrying away the excess water. A decade ago, managing excess rainwater was largely a challenge confined to the cotton-growing belt of southern Punjab. Today, it has spread to many districts across the province.
Recognising this challenge, the Punjab Agriculture Department launched a pilot project during 2016–18 with an allocation of Rs61m for seven cottongrowing districts in southern Punjab, where inadequate natural drainage frequently left fields under standing water for several days after heavy rainfall. It caused substantial damage to cotton and other waterlogging-sensitive crops.
Under a cost-sharing arrangement, farmers received financial assistance to construct on-farm ponds to temporarily store excess rainwater. The project also provided water pumps to lift the stored water from the ponds for subsequent irrigation.
At that time, on-farm ponds might have been the most appropriate technological solution. Today, however, boreholes have emerged as a proven and cost-effective technology for channelling excess rainwater into underground aquifers.
The second challenge confronting Punjab’s agriculture is the rapid depletion of groundwater. Now groundwater withdrawals through tube wells consistently exceed the aquifers’ natural recharge rate. This growing imbalance is quite evident in the steadily declining groundwater tables across the province.
Unfortunately, Pakistan is growing the wrong crops. The country’s current cropping pattern is increasingly misaligned with its declining water resources. Three of the country’s five major crops — rice, sugarcane, and maize (hybrid) — are highly water-intensive. Over the past decade, the cultivated area under these crops, particularly rice, has expanded considerably even as river flows have continued to decline.
Consequently, Punjab has become increasingly dependent on groundwater.
At the same time, the rapid spread of solar-powered tube wells has further encouraged the expansion of these water-guzzling crops.
The situation calls for concerted efforts to reduce groundwater depletion. One promising option is to gradually realign the country’s cropping pattern by promoting crops with lower water requirements.
However, such a policy shift can succeed only if the entire value chain of these alternative crops — from production and processing to marketing and exports — is developed. Building such an ecosystem is a long-term undertaking and is likely to take years.
Ironically, our bureaucracy and political leadership continue to view commandand- control regulations and price-based deterrents — such as imposing tariffs on groundwater abstraction or licensing tubewells — as the principal means of restricting groundwater use. Nevertheless, such measures are likely to place an additional burden on farmers’ livelihoods.
Instead of relying primarily on coercive or regulatory measures, greater emphasis should be placed on technologies that enhance aquifer recharge through rainwater.
Recharge boreholes offer practical means of restoring a balance between groundwater abstraction and natural recharge. This, in turn, can contribute to the long-term sustainability of Punjab’s water resources.
In conclusion, recharge borehole technology is gaining widespread acceptance in many countries. Punjab should promote this technology on a much larger scale across the province, as it has the potential to address both of its most pressing water-related challenges — too much water on agricultural fields and too little beneath them. Against this backdrop, the newly approved project is a step in the right direction.
Khalid Wattoo is a development professional and a farmer. Chaudhary Mohammad Ashraff is a former Director General (On-Farm Water Management) of the Punjab Agriculture Department.
Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, July 20th, 2026