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1.3 Real-World Crisis

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Part of NCERT 8 Social Science

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Last updated Jan 25, 2026. Clone to remix or explore the blocks below.

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case study

Real Crisis: Punjab's Groundwater Depletion

A detailed case study showing the consequences of using renewable resources faster than nature can regenerate them.

A Crisis Unfolds: The Punjab Groundwater Story

Let's travel to Punjab - one of India's most fertile regions. This is a real story about what happens when we disturb Nature's regeneration cycle.

Punjab's Proud Past: In the 1960s, Punjab became the breadbasket of India through the Green Revolution. It fed a large proportion of our population and made India self-sufficient in food. Farmers were celebrated as heroes.

Punjab's Present Crisis: Today, the same state faces a severe sustainability crisis. Nature has been pushed beyond her capacity to regenerate.

How did this happen?

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images

Punjab Crisis: The Visual Evidence

See the real data and images showing how groundwater depletion has affected Punjab.

Water gushing out from a groundwater extraction tube well

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Groundwater extraction in Punjab - Powerful pumps pull water from 30+ meters underground

Flooded paddy fields with green rice plants growing in standing water

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Water-intensive paddy cultivation - Each field remains flooded for months, requiring massive water use

Official map of Punjab showing depth to water level across different districts

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Punjab Groundwater Map (June 2022): Dark red = 20-40m depth (overexploited), Deep red = >40m depth (critical). Notice: Most of Punjab is red.

Cracked, degraded soil in an agricultural field showing crop failure

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Crop failure from soil degradation - Decades of chemical fertilizers have damaged soil health

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practice

Punjab Crisis: Key Facts

Reinforce your understanding of the causes and consequences of Punjab's groundwater crisis.

Fill in each blank with the correct word from the Punjab case study.

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In the 1960s, Punjab became India'sthrough the Green Revolution, making the country self-sufficient in food. High-yielding varieties of crops required much morethan traditional seeds, leading to intensive groundwater extraction. Freeprovided by the government encouraged over-pumping without economic checks. Chemical fertilizers andseeped into the groundwater, causing water contamination. Almost% of Punjab's area has been classified as 'over-exploited', meaning extraction exceeds recharge. The Punjab crisis shows that aresource can become effectively non-renewable if we disturb nature'scycle.

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concept

Ecosystem Services: Nature's Free Gifts

Understanding the invaluable services nature provides and how we often disrupt them without realizing the consequences.

The Ecosystem Services We Take for Granted

Nature provides us with countless benefits every single day. But we often don't notice them until they're gone.

Let's understand two important terms:

Ecosystem Functions: Nature's inherent ways of working

Ecosystem Services: When these natural functions benefit humans

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