As Pakistan undergoes a solar revolution, farmers are ditching diesel and grid power for sun-powered tube wells to irrigate their crops. This boom in solar-powered farming has coincided with the rapid depletion of water tables in Pakistan's most populous province.

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Farmers in Punjab, Pakistan, are rapidly adopting solar-powered tube wells to irrigate their crops, moving away from diesel and grid electricity. This transition, fueled by affordable solar panels, has enabled more frequent irrigation and an expansion in water-intensive rice cultivation.

However, official documents indicate a marked decline in groundwater levels across the province, with critical depletion zones expanding significantly in recent years. While government officials argue that solar irrigation does not increase water extraction, farmer accounts and crop data suggest otherwise. In response, local authorities have initiated pilot projects to recharge aquifers, but many farmers remain unconcerned about the long-term impact on water resources.

Is Pakistan's solar-powered farming driving a long-term water crisis?

Pakistan is in the midst of a solar revolution. With solar power, farmers in Punjab province are now irrigating their crops regularly. But this progress comes with another challenge. Punjab's groundwater is rapidly depleting. Farmer Kadamat Ali sold about a dozen of his cattle earlier this year. The proceeds from this sale he spent on a set of solar panels. While he no longer has a source for his family's milk, he now has an energy source to power a well to irrigate his crops. It keeps my costs low because it runs without diesel and keeps my water supply running smoothly. Over on that side, we would use diesel. Fueled by cheap Chinese-made panels, farmers like Ali are ditching diesel and grid power for sun-powered tube wells. But this solar boom coincides with the rapid depletion of water tables in Pakistan's most populous province, according to previously unreported Punjab Water Authority documents viewed by Reuters. Those documents did not pinpoint any costs. But the water table had dropped below 60 feet, a level designated as critical, across 6.6% of Punjab as of 2024. That marks an increase of some 25% between 2020 and 2024, while the deepest pockets, with water levels beyond 80 feet down, more than doubled in size during the same period. We have about 10 cities where we have depleted water very severely. So is solar-powered farming posing a particular threat to water levels in Punjab? Farmers say they have started irrigating their rice paddies far more regularly. They are also choosing to grow more thirsty rice crops than in previous years, with the size of rice paddies in Pakistan increasing 30% between 2023 and 2025. That's according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. According to energy economist Amar Habib, the widespread use of solar in farming is set to drive a 45% collapse in the amount of grid electricity consumed by the agriculture sector over three years through 2025. Reuters calculations based on Habib's data indicated some 400,000 tube wells that once relied on grid electricity have switched to solar, and Habib estimates farmers have bought another 250,000 such wells since 2023. Pakistan Power Minister Avaaz Legati told Reuters in June that it was a misconception that solar tube wells are depleting groundwater. He said farmers were drawing similar amounts of water as before, and land under cultivation hasn't increased. He did not respond for comment when presented with the accounts of farmers indicating that they had increased their irrigation of crops in data showing an expansion in rice growing. In response to the feared water crisis, Punjab began aquifer recharge pilots which aim to show depletion and ensure stable groundwater supply. But for many farmers in Punjab, the threat to the water table is a problem for tomorrow. No, the water level will not be low. After all, the tube wells have been running on electricity anyway. The water levels will not be lowered by solar panels. They should be installed at all costs.

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