Carbon concerns of groundwater irrigation in India: Insights from green revolution states of Punjab and Haryana

In the Green Revolution states of Punjab and Haryana, subsidised energy has led to unregulated groundwater pumping, resulting in lower groundwater levels and higher carbon emissions. This complex interaction necessitates the assessment of carbon emissions related with groundwater irrigation energy use. Using both secondary and primary data, the study estimates carbon emissions associated with actual pumping of groundwater structures. Groundwater irrigation using electric tube-wells has been estimated to annually emit 14.52 to 24.75 MMTand 6.31 to 11.47 MMT of carbon in Punjab and Haryana, respectively. Deep tube-wells have been discovered to have a large carbon footprint, and the growing number of such tube-wells will pose serious environmental challenges. Both Punjab and Haryana have highly developed groundwater regions responsible for most of the state's carbon emissions. However, the levels of carbon emissions per hectare differ significantly in the two states. Punjab uses approximately three times as much groundwater for irrigation as Haryana, but emits nearly twice as much carbon from groundwater pumping.