— Most of the water-intensive agriculture in the nation takes place in Punjab, a state in the northwest that makes up 2% of the country's territory. But it provides more than 50% of its grain reserves. Farmers there currently pump out 45% more groundwater than is replaced by monsoon rains. The problem has arisen in part because Punjabi farmers have turned away from growing traditional crops that are suited for semi-arid land, such as wheat and corn, and turned instead to more profitable, but water-intensive, rice.