BATHINDA: With alarm bells ringing loud over fast depleting underground water and polluted surface water in Punjab, environmentalists have urged assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan to convene a special session to discuss the problems.
A number of activists on Thursday called upon the speaker, saying there was a dire need to take urgent measures to stop the state from turning into a desert. They demanded that a high-powered committee be set up to thoroughly study the issue to suggest right steps.
"Directions need to be issue to use underground water judiciously, rather start depending more on surface water, recharge the groundwater to keep it for future generations, stop contamination of river waters, rejuvenating village ponds, treat waste water in villages, increase forest cover and prevail upon farmers against burning the crop residue and completely ban the single use plastics," they said.
Meanwhile, farmer organisation BKU Ekta Ugrahan has started a campaign to sensitise the rural folks for judicious use of underground water.
