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The Punjab government has signed four MoUs with Israeli institutions to address issues of farmers and depleting groundwater levels in the state. The memorandums of understandings (MoUs) were signed here in Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday, the second day of his five-day visit to the Jewish nation. He had arrived on Sunday evening.
The MoUs will help boost cooperation between Punjab and Israel in areas such as water conservation and agricultural research and education.
The agreement will "help Punjab secure much needed technical expertise and know-how for strengthening its water management systems and improving its agricultural research and learning", Chief Minister Singh said.
To formulate a water conservation and management plan in Punjab, an MoU was signed between Punjab Water Resources Management and Israel Mekorot Development and Enterprise Ltd.
Three MoUs related to agricultural research were signed by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) with Israel's ARAVA Institute, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Galilee International Management Institute.
The agreement for water conservation and management acknowledges that Punjab has a limited availability of surface water because of a major source of irrigation in the state.
Currently, nearly 73 per cent of water requirements for irrigation are being met through groundwater, the MoU noted.
"Due to multiple cropping and large-scale cultivation of paddy there has been intensive groundwater extraction in the last five decades.
"This has created a situation in which it has already become water-stressed," he said.
The water quality is also affected by an industrial effluent and sewage flowing to natural streams and rivers, the MoU said.
"In some of the areas of the state, particularly in the Punjab," he added.
The MOU has badigned Mekorot to formulate a comprehensive, viable, effective cost effective and efficient water conservation and management plan.This was done as part of an ongoing process of cooperation between India and Israel in the field of water resource management, it said.
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Singh had met officials on Mekorot Monday after visiting the water treatment plant (Shafdan) in the country's Dan region. The two sides will be holding mutual discussions, and other deliverables, including recommendations regarding the use of appropriate technology and detailed project reports.
The MoU said a detailed agreement for preparation of the plan evolved within two months.
The activities to be fulfilled by a joint working group, comprising an equal number of members from each side. It will be formed within three weeks, it said.
In the MOUs related to the agriculture sector, the PAU has agreed with all the three leading Israeli institutions to collaborate on cooperative research and to interest.
Details of the arrangements are to be discussed in future deliberations.
The Galilee International Management Institute also agreed with PAU on training of 200 scientists and extension workers.
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