Bari Doab: It is a piece of land between two rivers i.e. Ravi and Sutlej. It is the most rapidly groundwater depleting area of Pakistan. The causes of rapidly depleting groundwater is due to the stoppage of surface water supplies in both rivers after Indus Water Treaty (IWT) in 1960 between Pakistan and India. It created acute shortage of surface water supplies in this area. It generated maximum stress on groundwater to meet the crop water requirement.
This study was carried out with an objective to predict the future groundwater availability and impact of climate change in this area with the overview of change in pumping cost. In this regard water balance of the area was determined and it was found that surface supplies are less by about 1027 mm/year. As a result the average groundwater mining is determined as @ 0.34 to 0.6 m/year in the area.
The results of the study revealed that acute shortage of groundwater in the central and lower parts of Bari Doab and it is moving in the direction from east to west. This was due to heavy pumping rate from upper to lower part of Bari Doab as currently the farmers are compelled to install their tube wells with varying depth i.e. 46 to 79m from head to tail of Lower Bari Doab Canal. Similarly the study results showed high tube well installation cost as well as pumping and operating cost with electricity.
It is therefore, recommended to construct artificial recharge channels in the area in order to maintain groundwater levels and to avoid enhanced pumping cost. In this regard old bed of Sukh-Beas River can be used for artificial recharge. A discharge of 156.3 m3/s (5518 cfs) can be diverted in Sukh-Beas channel.