Punjab will become a desert by 2039. How is that possible, for a place named after its water?
Punjab is at risk of becoming a desert by 2039.
Over the past hundred years, canals, dams, and farming practices have drained rivers and groundwater, threatening the land and the people who depend on it. In our time, we witnessed farmers rise up to protect their water, rights, livelihoods and futures in one of the world’s largest movements, The Farmers’ Protest (2020-2021). After over a year of camping on the roads of New Delhi, they were triumphant. The laws were repealed.
But what can be done longer term to support Punjab and the people that depend upon its water systems?
We’re partnering with Roundglass Foundation for lasting solutions.
With every copy of The Stolen River, Rootkeepers will plant one tree in Punjab, to support reforestation efforts.
Trees hold riverbanks in place, filter pollutants, cool the water for aquatic life, regulate water flow, and improve soil biodiversity.
Children can see that caring for nature is also caring for people, and that even small acts of hope—like planting their own tree—make a real difference in the world, now, and for future generations to come.
