3 - Water Resources
1. How does water become a renewable resource?
The freshwater is mainly obtained from surface runoff and groundwater
that is continually being renewed and recharged through the hydrological
cycle. All water moves within the hydrological cycle ensuring that water is
a renewable resource.
2. What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?
Unavailability of water due to the variation in seasonal and annual
precipitations.
● The availability of water resources varies over space and time,
mainly due to the variations in seasonal and annual precipitation. II.
● In the agricultural sector to facilitate higher food-grain production,
water resources are being over-exploited.
● Overuse of water resources due to rapid industrialisation and
urbanisation.
● Scarcity due to the bad quality of water.( Pollution )
3. Freshwater can be obtained directly from precipitation, surface run off and
groundwater.
4. Water scarcity may be an outcome of a large and growing
population. Justify.
OR
Why is there water scarcity in places which have ample resources
of water?
● Water scarcity may be an outcome of large and growing
population and consequent greater demands for water, and
unequal access to it.
● A large population requires more water not only for domestic use
but also to produce more food.
● Hence, to facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources
are being over-exploited to expand irrigated areas for dry-season
agriculture
5. What are the measures taken by the government for water scarcity?
● Government of India by announcing the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
● Enable every rural household get assured supply of potable piped
water(55 litres per capita per day )
● Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) : Objective is to bring in behavioural changes
in the community, from the prevailing attitude of consumption to
conservation and smart water management in water stressed districts.
● Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana : Enhance the physical access of
water on the farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation (har
khet ko pani)
6. Factors Affecting the Quality of Water
● Domestic and industrial wastes
● Indiscriminate use of chemicals like fertilisers and pesticides
● Overdrawing of groundwater leading to fluoride concentration
7. How has urbanisation posed a threat to existing fresh water
resources in India?
● Urban areas are densely populated.
● Housing societies and buildings have their own pumping devices to draw
groundwater.
● Depletion of fresh water resources and over exploitation of groundwater.
● Urbanisation have aggravated the problem of water scarcity.
8. Need for water conservation and management
Conservation is essential to safeguard ourselves from health hazards,
ensure food security, continuation of our livelihoods and prevent
degradation of our natural ecosystems.
9. Hydraulic Structures in Ancient India
● Sophisticated water harvesting system at Sringaverapura near
Allahabad(channelling the flood water of the river Ganga).
● Dams and lakes built during Chandragupta Maurya.
● Irrigation works in Kalinga, (Odisha), Nagarjunakonda (Andhra
Pradesh), Bennur (Karnataka), Kolhapur (Maharashtra), etc.
● Bhopal Lake, one of the largest artificial lakes of its time, was built(11th
century).
● Tank in Hauz Khas, Delhi (constructed by Iltutmish for supplying water
to the Siri Fort area, 14th century).
10. What are dams?
● A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards
the flow, often creating a reservoir. This reservoir is called a dam. This
structure has a section called spillway or weir through which water flows.
● Dams are classified according to structure, intended purpose or height
11. State the importance of multi-purpose projects
OR
How do dams help us in conserving and managing water?
Some of the main functions of the multipurpose projects are:
● Electricity Generation: Dams generate hydroelectric power,
providing a renewable source of energy.
● Water Supply: They supply water for domestic and industrial needs,
ensuring availability for daily activities and economic growth. I
● Flood Control: Dams help in controlling floods by regulating water
flow and storing excess water during heavy rains.
● Recreation: Reservoirs created by dams offer recreational
opportunities such as boating and tourism.
● Inland Navigation: Dams facilitate inland water transport by
creating navigable water routes.
● Fish Breeding: The water bodies formed by dams promote fish
breeding, benefiting the fishing industry
12.In recent years, multipurpose projects and large dams have come
under great scrutiny and opposition. Explain why?
Disadvantages of dams?
● Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing
poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of
the reservoir. This may result in rockier stream beds and harm the
aquatic life of the water body and their migration to other water
bodies.
● Building of dams result in the submergence of land and vegetation.
This results in the decomposition of vegetation.
● Irrigation has also changed the cropping pattern of many regions
with farmers shifting to water intensive and commercial crops. This
has great ecological consequences like salinisation of the soil.
● The dams that were constructed to control floods have triggered
floods due to sedimentation in the [Link] floods have not
only devastated life and property but also caused extensive soil
erosion.
● It was also observed that the multipurpose projects induced
earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases and pests and pollution
resulting from excessive use of water.
13.Why did Jawaharlal Nehru proclaim the dams as the "temples of
modern India"? Explain any three reasons.
Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed the dams as the “temples of modern India”
because it will integrate development of agriculture and the village
economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban economy:
● They eliminate or reduce flooding.
● Provide water for agriculture.
● Provide water for human and industrial consumption.
● Provide hydroelectricity for houses and industries.
14.Explain 5 techniques of rainwater harvesting
● In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the
'guls' or 'kuls of the Western Himalayas for agriculture
● Rooftop rainwater harvesting was commonly practised to store drinking
water, particularly in Rajasthan.
● In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to
irrigate their fields.
● In arid and semi-arid regions, agricultural fields were converted into rain
fed storage structures that allowed the water to stand and moisten the soil
Eg. 'khadins' in Jaisalmer
‘Johads' in other parts of Rajasthan.
● In the semi-arid and arid regions had underground tanks or tankas for
storing drinking water. The tankas were part of the well-developed rooftop
rainwater harvesting system.
15. Why are different water harvesting systems viable alternatives in a
country like India?
In ancient India, along with the sophisticated hydraulic structures, there
existed an extraordinary tradition of water-harvesting system. + answer of
11
16. Describe rooftop rainwater harvesting system?
Rooftop rainwater harvesting is a technique used for the conservation of
water.
• Rooftop rainwater is collected using a PVC pipe
• Filtered using sand and bricks
• Underground pipe takes water to sump for immediate usage
• Excess water from the sump is taken to the well
• Water from the well recharges the underground
• Take water from the well (later)
17. Tamil Nadu is the first state in India which has made rooftop rainwater
harvesting structure compulsory to all the houses across the state.
18.What are the important features of tankas built in Bikaner, Phalodi
and Barmer?
● In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in
Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer, almost all the houses traditionally had
underground tanks or tankas for storing drinking water.
● The tanks could be as large as a big room; one household in Phalodi
had a tank that was 6.1 metres deep, 4.27 metres long and 2.44
metres wide.
● The tankas were part of the well developed rooftop rainwater
harvesting system and were built inside the main house or the
courtyard.
● They were connected to the sloping roofs of the houses through a
pipe.
● Rain falling on the rooftops would travel down the pipe and was
stored in these underground ‘tankas’.
● The first spell of rain was usually not collected as this would clean
the roofs and the pipes.
● The rainwater from the subsequent showers was then collected.
19. Why is rooftop rainwater harvesting common in Shillong in spite of the
fact that Cherapunjee and Mawsynram are situated at a distance of 55 km?
Shillong faces acute shortage of water. Nearly every household in the city
has a rooftop rainwater harvesting structure. Nearly 15-25 per cent of the
total water requirement of the household comes from rooftop water
harvesting.
20. In western Rajasthan the practice of roof top has declined. Why?
In western Rajasthan, sadly the practice of rooftop rainwater harvesting is
on the decline as plenty of water is available due to the perennial Indira
Gandhi Canal.
21.Bamboo drip irrigation
In Meghalaya, a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and spring water
by using bamboo pipes, is prevalent. About 18-20 litres of water enters the
bamboo pipe system, gets transported over hundreds of metres, and finally
reduces to 20-80 drops per minute at the site of the plant.
