CHAPTER- WATER RESOURCES

WATER IS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE-WHY?

 Three-fourth of the earth’s surface is covered with water, but only a small proportion of it
accounts for freshwater that can be put to use.
 This freshwater is mainly obtained from surface run off and ground water 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

WATER SCARCITY

REASONS FOR WATER SCARCITY

Q. How have the growing population, industrialisation and urbanisation led to water
scarcity? Explain.
OR
Q. Explain any four reasons responsible for water scarcity in India.
OR
Q. Give three reasons for water scarcity in post independent India.
OR
Q. ‘Three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered with water but there is still scarcity of
water across the globe.’ Explain giving three reasons
ANS-

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1. Large growing population
 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 means more water not only for domestic use but also to produce more
food.
2. Commercialisation of agriculture
 To facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources are being over-exploited to
expand irrigated areas and dry-season agriculture.
 Most farmers have their own wells and tube-wells in their farms for irrigation may lead to
falling groundwater levels, adversely affecting water availability and food security of the
people.
3. Industrialisation
 The ever-increasing numbers of industries are exerting pressure on existing freshwater
resources. Industries, apart from being heavy users of water, also require power to run
them. Much of this energy comes from hydroelectric power. Today, in India
hydroelectric power contributes approximately 22 per cent of the total electricity
produced.
 Untreated industrial waste/effluents, domestic and industrial wastes, chemicals, pesticides
and fertilizers used in agriculture, discharged into water bodies thus making it hazardous
for human use.
4. Urbanisation
 Multiplying urban centres with large and dense populations have further aggravated the
problem. The housing societies or colonies in the cities have their own groundwater
pumping devices to meet their water needs. This has caused depletion of groundwater in
several cities. Fragile water resources are being overexploited and have caused their
depletion in several of these cities.
Q. Explain the quantitative and qualitative aspects of water scarcity.
OR
Q. Water is available in abundance in India even then scarcity of water is experienced in
major parts of the country. Explain with four examples.

Ans. (i) Quantitative aspect: This aspect is related to the availability of water resources. The
availability of water resources varies over space and time mainly due to variations in seasonal
and annual precipitation. However, water scarcity in most cases is caused by over-exploitation,
excessive use, and unequal access to water among different social groups.

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(ii) Qualitative aspect: Now, let us consider another situation where water is sufficiently
available to meet the needs of the people, but the area still suffers from water scarcity. This
scarcity may be due to bad quality of water. Lately, there has been a growing concern that even if
there is ample water to meet the needs of the people, much of it may be polluted by domestic and
industrial wastes, chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers used in agriculture, thus, making it
hazardous for human use.
Q What is Jal Jeevan Mission? What is its goal?

 Government of India has accorded highest priority to improve the quality of life and
enhance ease of living of people especially those living in rural areas by announcing the
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
 The Goal of JJM is to enable every rural household get assured supply of potable piped
water at a service level of 55 litres per capita per day regularly on long-term basis by
ensuring functionality of the tap water connections.

Q Water conservation is the need of the hour. Explain why?

• To ensure food security.
• To control over exploitation and mismanagement
• To safeguard ourselves from health hazard as quality of water is affected badly.
• Continuation of our livelihoods and productive activities.
 To prevent degradation of our natural ecosystems
 Over exploitation and mismanagement of water resources will impoverish this resource
and cause ecological crisis that may have profound impact on our lives
Q What are dams and how do they help us in conserving and managing water?
Dams were traditionally built to impound rivers and rainwater that could be used later to irrigate
agricultural fields. Today, dams are built not just for irrigation but for electricity generation,
water supply for domestic and industrial uses, flood control, recreation, inland navigation, and
fish breeding. Hence, dams are now referred to as multi-purpose projects where the many uses of
the impounded water are integrated with one another. For example, in the Sutlej-Beas River
basin, the Bhakra – Nangal project water is being used both for hydel power production and
irrigation. Similarly, the Hirakud project in the Mahanadi basin integrates conservation of water
with flood control

CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES

HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES IN ANCIENT INDIA

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Archaeological and historical records show that from ancient times we have been constructing
sophisticated hydraulic structures like dams built of stone rubble, reservoirs or lakes,
embankments, and canals for irrigation.
 In the first century B.C., Sringaverapura near Allahabad had sophisticated water
harvesting system channelling the flood water of the river Ganga.
 During the time of Chandragupta Maurya, dams, lakes and irrigation systems were
extensively built.
 Evidences of sophisticated irrigation works have also been found in Kalinga, (Orissa),
Nagarjunakonda (Andhra Pradesh), Bennur (Karnataka), Kolhapur (Maharashtra), etc.
 In the 11th Century, Bhopal Lake, one of the largest artificial lakes of its time was built.
 In the 14th Century, the tank in Hauz Khas, Delhi was constructed by Iltutmish for
supplying water to Siri Fort area.

Dams were traditionally built to impound rivers and rainwater that could be used later to irrigate
agricultural fields. A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the
flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment
Dams are classified
1. Based on structure and the materials used
 Timber dams, embankment dams or masonry dams, with several subtypes.
2. According to the height

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  large dams and major dams or alternatively as low dams, medium height dams and high
dams
Q Jawaharlal Nehru proudly proclaimed the dams as the ‘temples of modern India’, why?
 Multi-purpose projects, launched after Independence with their integrated water resources
management approach, were thought of as the vehicle that would lead the nation to
development and progress
 The reason being that it would integrate development of agriculture and the village
economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban economy.

ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPURPOSE PROJECTS

Dams are built for
• Irrigation
• For electricity generation(hydroelectricity)
• Flood control,
• recreation,
• inland navigation
• Fish breeding.
Q Why are multi-purpose projects under great scrutiny and opposition?
[DISADVANTAGES]
• Damming of rivers causes excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir,
resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.
• Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate especially for
spawning.
• The reservoirs that are created on the floodplains also submerge the existing vegetation
and soil leading to its decomposition over a period of time
• Multi-purpose projects and large dams have also been the cause of many new social
movements like the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan, due to
large scale displacement of local communities.
• 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. At the same time, it has transformed the social landscape i.e.
increasing the social gap between the richer landowners and the landless poor.
• Inter-state water disputes are also becoming common with regard to sharing the costs and
benefits of the multi-purpose project.
• The big dams have mostly been unsuccessful in controlling floods at the time of
excessive rainfall due to sedimentation in the reservoir

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 • Induced earthquakes caused waterborne diseases and pests and pollution resulting from
excessive use of water.
Q. How do the multipurpose river projects affect the aquatic life? Explain.
OR
Q. Explain the ecological problems being faced due to the multi-purpose river projects.
Ans. In recent years, the multi-purpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny
and opposition for a variety of reasons:
(i) Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow and
excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in rockier streambeds and poorer
habitats for the rivers, as well as the aquatic life.
(ii) Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for the aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for
spawning.
(iii) The reservoirs that are created on the flood. Plains also submerge the existing vegetation and
soil leading to its decomposition over time.
(iv) 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.
Q Write a short note on
1.Narmada Bachao Andolan?
Narmada Bachao Andolan or Save Narmada Movement is a Non-Governmental Organisation
(NGO) that mobilised tribal people, farmers, environmentalists, and human rights activists
against the Sardar Sarovar Dam being built across the Narmada River in Gujarat. It originally
focused on the environmental issues related to trees that would be submerged under the dam
water. Recently it has re-focused the aim to enable poor citizens, especially the outsees
(displaced people) to get full rehabilitation facilities from the government.
2. Sardar Sarovar Dam
Sardar Sarovar Dam has been built over the Narmada River in Gujarat. This is one of the largest
water resource projects of India covering four states—Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat
and Rajasthan. The Sardar Sarovar project would meet the requirement of water in drought-prone
and desert areas of Gujarat (9,490 villages and 173 towns) and Rajasthan (124 villages).

Q What is Krishna-Godavari dispute?

The Krishna-Godavari dispute is due to the objections raised by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
governments? It is regarding the diversion of more water at Koyna by the Maharashtra

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government for a multipurpose project. This would reduce downstream flow in their states with
adverse consequences for agriculture and industry.
Q What are the basic safety precautions to be taken before and during floods?

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 RAINWATER HARVESTING

TRADITIONAL METHODS OF RAIN WATER HARVESTING IN ANCIENT INDIA

• In hill and mountainous regions, people-built diversion channels like the ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’
of the Western Himalayas for agriculture.
• ‘Rooftop rain water harvesting’ was commonly practiced 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 like the ‘khadins’ in
Jaisalmer and ‘Johads’ in other parts of Rajasthan.
• 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.
• Bamboo Drip Irrigation- Common in Meghalaya. A 200-year-old system of tapping
stream and spring water by using bamboo pipes. Bamboo pipes are used to divert
perennial springs on the hilltops to the lower reaches by gravity.

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Q What is Palar Pani?
Rainwater, or palar pani, as commonly referred to in these parts, is considered the purest form of
natural water
Q What are the purpose for constructing ‘tankas’?
OR
What are the benefits of ‘tankas’?
 The rainwater can be stored in the tankas till the next rainfall making it an extremely
reliable source of drinking water when all other sources are dried up particularly in the
summers.
 Many houses constructed underground rooms adjoining the ‘tanka’ to beat the summer
heat as it would keep the room cool.
Q Why rooftop rainwater harvesting is a common practice in Shillong, Meghalaya?
Rooftop rainwater harvesting is the most common practice in Shillong, Meghalaya. It is
interesting because Cherapunjee and Mawsynram situated at a distance of 55 km. from Shillong
receive the highest rainfall in the world, yet the state capital 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.
Q Why the practice of rooftop rainwater harvesting declining in western Rajasthan?
Today, 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, though some houses still
maintain the tankas since they do not like the taste of tap water.
Q Why are different water harvesting systems considered a viable alternative both socio-
economically and environmentally in country like India?
In ancient India, along with the sophisticated hydraulic structures, there existed an extraordinary
tradition of water-harvesting system.
 People had in-depth knowledge of rainfall regimes and soil types and developed wide
ranging techniques to harvest rainwater, groundwater, river water and flood water in
keeping with the local ecological conditions and their water needs. So, they do not face
any trouble in planning the utilization of the rainwater.
 It is more environmentally friendly as compared to large multipurpose projects.
 Economically, rainwater harvesting is a cheaper option.
 It doesn’t involve rehabilitation of people thus avoiding disruptions in their lives.
Q. Write a short note on tankas/underground tanks.
 Found in the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi and
Barmer
 Purpose: i) Used for storing drinking water. ii) Many houses constructed underground
rooms adjoining the ‘tanka’ to beat the summer heat as it would keep the room cool.
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  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
 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
MODERN ADAPTATIONS OF TRADITIONAL RAINWATER HARVESTING METHODS
 In many parts of rural and urban India, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being successfully
adapted to store and conserve water.
 Roof top rain water harvesting is the most common practice in Shillong, Meghalaya.
Nearly every household in the city has a roof top rain water harvesting structure. Nearly
15-25 per cent of the total water requirement of the household comes from roof top water
harvesting.
 In Gendathur, a remote backward village in Mysore, Karnataka, villagers have installed,
in their household’s rooftop, rainwater harvesting system to meet their water needs.
Nearly 200 households have installed this system and the village has earned the rare
distinction of being rich in rainwater harvesting system which is adapted here.
 Tamil Nadu is the first and the only state in India which has made roof top
rainwater harvesting structure compulsory to all the houses across the state. There are
legal provisions to punish the defaulters.
Rooftop Rainwater
Harvesting:
It is a technique of
increasing
the recharge of ground
water by
capturing and storing
rainwater
by construction of dug
well,
percolation pit etc

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BAMBOO DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM
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 plan,

UNSOLVED QUESTIONS
Q1. Discuss how Rain Water Harvesting in arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan is carried
out?

Q2. Who proclaimed dams as ‘temples of modern India ’and why?

Q3. How has irrigation changed the cropping pattern of many regions? What are its
consequences?
Q4. How has the ever-increasing numbers of industries made matters worse by exerting pressure
on existing freshwater resources? (Three points)
Q5. Write a short note on Narmada Bachao Andolan.

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NOTE: -READ THE CHAPTER THOROUGHLY.

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