Factors determines awareness of management practices of over-exploitation of ground water among farmers of Punjab, India

The Majority of the population worldwide is dependent on water for numerous purposes that include domestic works, agricultural activities, industrial functions and many more. The objective of this study is to understand the relationship between socio-personal characteristics of farmers with their awareness towards management practices related to over-exploitation of groundwater. This study is based on a survey conducted in central zone of Punjab with 120 farmers. The findings revealed that education, operational land holdings and extension contacts were found to have highly significant relationship with the awareness of respondents regarding the management practices for over-exploitation of ground water. The data revealed that 65.83 per cent of respondents were falling under the category of high level of awareness, followed by 22.5 per cent of respondents who were falling under the category of medium level of awareness. Thus, it can be said on the basis of the findings that a large majority of farmers were aware of management practices related to over exploitation of ground water in the central zone of Punjab. Remote areas where the level of awareness of people is still low, Agricultural Department Officers (ADOs), Soil Conservation Officers (SCOs), and Punjab Agricultural University Kheti Doot club should contact farmers from time to time to generate awareness about the innovative management practices.