Panjab Finds Potash Reserves, NGT Orders Water Test

Panjab’s government has given the green light for drilling-based exploration of potash in Muktsar and Fazilka, where surveys by the Geological Survey of India have identified large mineral reserves across an 18-square-kilometre area. Panjab Mining minister for Water Resource, Mining and Soil and Water conservation, Barinder Kumar Goyal announced that the Union government is poised to auction these blocks, starting with Kabarwala near Muktsar, after which potash extraction can begin. Addressing the fears of local residents who oppose potential projects, fearing their farmland could be targeted for industrial use, the minister explained that the technique will involve deep drilling to about 450 metres—negating the need for open-pit mining or land acquisition. Yet, apprehensions remain. The potash find could significantly reduce India’s roughly 5M Metric Tonne annual import of the nutrient, saving foreign currency, and spurring local economic growth through processing facilities. Government officials anticipate that expanding local potash output, coupled with stronger environmental monitoring, will fortify Panjab’s agricultural base, bolster farmer incomes, and mitigate ecological risks across the region. Meanwhile, the government has also turned attention to water quality. A separate measure, ordered by the National Green Tribunal on 17 Jan, addresses severe contamination of groundwater due to unchecked waste disposal and overuse of chemical fertilisers. Panjab’s Biotechnology Incubator will collect 1,700 samples of agricultural commodities, as well as 600 soil and 500 irrigation water samples, to test them for hazardous metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and uranium. Authorities hope this study will map the extent of pollutants entering the food chain via irrigation. Farmers in southwestern Panjab, battling water contamination and concerns about new mining ventures, also face debates on improved land management practices, given the region’s high usage of chemical-based inputs.