Question

Identify the correct option for which Haryana/Punjab, Preservation of Sub-soil Water Acts 2009 have been enacted :

• A. Fix the dates for sowing of rice nursery and rice transplanting in the states
• B. List guidelines for implementing the Atal Bhujal Yojana
• C. Provide incentives for crop diversification from paddy to other low water requiring crops
• D. Provide incentives for artificial groundwater recharge

Hint:

Remember that the Preservation of Sub-soil Water Act (2009) is a landmark environmental law that legally forbids early paddy transplantation to save groundwater from excessive summer pumping.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Due to severe groundwater depletion caused by intensive rice-wheat cropping systems, the governments of Punjab and Haryana enacted water conservation laws in 2009.
Detailed Explanation:
- The Punjab/Haryana Preservation of Sub-soil Water Act, 2009 was enacted to prohibit farmers from transplanting paddy before a notified date (usually mid-June, such as June 15 or 20).
- Sowing paddy nursery is also restricted to early May.
- Delaying rice transplanting aligns the crop's peak water-demand phase with the onset of the monsoon rains. This significantly reduces the need for groundwater pumping during the hot summer months of May and June, when evaporation rates are extremely high.
- Therefore, the act's primary regulatory mechanism is to fix the permissible dates for sowing rice nurseries and transplanting rice in the states.

Step 2: Final Answer:
The correct option is Option (A).