Haryana pushes crop shift in Gurugram to curb groundwater depletion

Farmers will get incentives to replace water-intensive paddy with maize, pulses, oilseeds and cotton crops.

To combat falling groundwater levels, the agriculture department will promote crop diversification across Gurugram, Faridabad, and adjoining southern districts, and incentivise farmers to shift from water-intensive paddy to alternative crops under the Haryana government’s “Mera Pani Meri Virasat” scheme, officials said on Saturday.

Officials said that under the scheme, districts have set targets to boost alternative crops, including maize, pulses, and oil seeds. (HT)

Following the directions issued by the Directorate of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on May 20, the districts will intensify sensitisation initiatives for farmers through workshops and training programmes, officials added.

Officials said that under the scheme, districts have set targets to boost alternative crops, including maize, pulses, and oil seeds.

“Many of the unregistered areas still have water-intensive crop cultivation, contributing to the groundwater problem. Our teams will reach these areas to encourage farmers to adopt less water-consuming cultivation. Alternatively, farmers can also use direct seeded rice (DSR) techniques for traditional cropping,” a senior agriculture department official said.

“Other than ₹8,000 per acre benefit for alternative farming, farmers will receive an additional ₹2,000 incentive for growing pulses, oilseeds and cotton. Physical verification will begin early to prevent dubious claims,” the official said.

The scheme targets 8,100 acres for alternative farming by December. District targets include Palwal (4,000 acres), Jhajjar (1,500 acres), Faridabad (1,000 acres), Nuh (1,000 acres), and Gurugram (600 acres).

Officials said lower targets in southern Haryana were due to limited paddy cultivation in the region. During the 2025 Kharif season, around 23,376 farmers cultivated 103,978 acres of registered area in Gurugram, according to the government’s MFMB portal.

Of Gurugram’s 100,300 acres of cultivated land, 97,588 acres of registered area already had low-water usage cultivation, with a majority of 91,814 acres from Bajra.

According to the Central Ground Water Board’s estimates from early 2026, Gurugram’s groundwater extraction is around 194% of annual recharge/availability, with groundwater levels at 30.05 meters. A report by the Haryana Water Resources Authority (HWRA) found 131 of 256 villages of Gurugram had their groundwater levels reach between 30 and 50 meters from 2010 to 2024.

Official estimates showed that only 20% of farmers adopted the scheme last year due to lower earnings from cotton cultivation, and around 38% were ruled out due to false claims by farmers seeking benefits.