DSR method being promoted for paddy sowing to save water

Amid rain eluding north India during the important kharif sowing season, the government of Punjab on Tuesday launched a ‘water saving’ campaign across the state. It involves encouraging farmers to sow paddy, a water-guzzling crop, by way of direct seeded rice (DSR) method, which results in water saving by up to 20 per cent compared with the traditional method.

This is also aimed at containing the fast depletion of the underground water table, which is chiefly the result of overexploitation of water resources.