Haryana is facing a severe water crisis. In some places, groundwater has completely depleted and in others, there is the problem of waterlogging. Experts suggest that excessive cropping of paddy is responsible for this adverse scenario. To counter this challenge, the government Haryana government has started a scheme named Mera Pani-Meri Virasat, wherein the government provides compensation to farmers who decide to grow crops other than paddy in their fields. Down To Earth visited three districts in Haryana, Karnal, Kurukshetra, and Jhajjar to find out more about this.
#paddycultivation #water #farmersprotest

0:00 Introduction
1:35 Paddy Cultivation and water crisis
2:05 Crop Diversification
3:17 Mera Pani - Meri Virasat
4:17 Data on Crop Diversification and Water Level in Haryana
5:45 Why Paddy?
7:50 Challenges and their solutions