GEOGRAPHY CHAPTER 3 – WATER RESOURCES
Q1 – Why should water resources be conserved and managed?
Ans – We need to conserve and manage water resources to safeguard ourselves form health hazards, to
ensure food security, continuation of our livelihoods and productive activities and also to prevent of
degradation of our natural ecosystem.
Q2 – How can you say that water is a renewable resource?
Ans – 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.
Q3 – Write a note on saline, freshwater and groundwater in the world.
Ans – 96.5% of the total water volume of world’s water is estimated to exist as oceans and only 2.5% as
freshwater. Nearly 70% of this freshwater occurs as ice sheets and glaciers in Antarctica, Greenland and
the mountainous regions of the world, while a little less than 30% is stored as groundwater in the world’s
aquifers.
Q4 – What are the main causes of water scarcity?
Ans – Overpopulation: Water scarcity may be an outcome of a large and growing population and results in
greater demands for water and unequal access to it.
Commercialization of agriculture: After the success of the Green Revolution framers are producing
commercial crops. The commercial crops need more water for irrigation.
Urbanization: Urbanization is another factor for scarcity of water. Since new lifestyles in the urban cities
have developed and overexploitation of water continues; there is water scarcity.’
Q5 – Give reasons for the need of conservation of water.
Ans – (i) – It helps us to conserve and manage our available water resources.
(ii) – Pure water is required to safeguard ourselves from health hazards.
(iii) – For ensuring food security, we require lots of water for irrigation.
(iv) – Conservation of water resources is also required for continuation of our livelihood and
productive activities.
(v) – It is required to prevent degradation of our natural resources.
Q6 – Why have multi-purpose projects and large dams come under great scrutiny and opposition?
Ans – Multipurpose projects and large dams are opposed due to following reasons –
(i) – Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow and
excessive sedimentation at the bottom of reservoirs.
(ii) – It results in rocky stream beds and poorer habitats for the river’s aquatic life.
(iii) – Dams also fragments rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for
spawning.
(iv) – The reservoirs that are created on the flood plains also submerge the existing vegetation and
soil, leading to its decomposition over a period of time.
(v) – It requires huge capital to construct.
Q7 – What does qualitative Scarcity of water mean?
Ans – It is situation where water is sufficiently available to meet the needs of the people, but the area still
suffers from water scarcity. This scarcity is due to bad quality of water. 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 waters, chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture, thus, making it
hazardous for human use.
Q8 – What is dam? What types of dams are built?
Ans – A dam is barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a
reservoir, lake or impoundment.
Dams are classified according to their structure, intended purpose or height. On the basis of structure and
material used dams are classified a – (I) – Timber dam (ii) – Embankment dams or masonry dams.
According to their height dams can be categorized as –
(i) – Large dams (ii) – Low dams (iii) – Medium height dams (iv) – High dams
Q9 – Why did Jawaharlal Nehru proudly proclaim the dams as the ‘Temple of modern India’?
Ans – Multipurpose projects launched after independence with their integrated water resources
management approach, were thought of as vehicle that would lead the nation to development and
progress. Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed that dams as temples of modern India as it would integrate the
development of agriculture and village economy with rapid industrialization and growth of urban economy.
Q10 – In what ways were intensive industrialization and urbanization responsible for water scarcity?
Ans – (i) – The ever increasing number of industries has made matters worse by exerting pressure on
existing freshwater resources.
(ii) – Industries, apart from being heavy users of water, also requires power to run them. Much of
this energy comes from hydroelectric power.
(iii) – Multiplying urban centres with large and dense population and urban lifestyles have not only
added to water and energy requirements but have further aggravated the problem.
(iv) – In housing societies or colonies, we would find that most of these have their own
groundwater pumping devices to meet their water needs. With the result, fragile water resources are
being overexploited and have caused their depletion in several cities.
Q11 – How have multi-purpose projects and large dams been the cause of many new social movements?
Ans – (i) - Narmada Bachao Andolan and the Tehri dam Andolan ,etc. were the movements to resist large-
scale displacement of local communities. Local people often had to give up their land, livelihood and their
control over resources for the greater good of the nation.
(ii) - Irrigation has changed the cropping pattern from shifting to commercial crops. It is responsible for
salinisation of the soil. At the same time, it has its social impact by increasing the social gap between the
rich landowners and the landless poor.
(iii) - Dams also created conflicts between people wanting different uses and benefits from the same water
resource. In Gujarat, the Sabarmati basin farmers were agitated over the priority given to water supply in
urban areas, particularly during droughts.
(iv) - inter-state water disputes are also common with regard to sharing the costs and benefits of the multi-
purpose projects. E.g. Krishna-Godavari dispute, due to objections raised by Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh governments regarding the diversion of more water at Koyna by the Maharashtra government for
a multi-purpose project.
Q12 - What do you know about the ‘Bamboo-Drip Irrigation System’?
Ans. In Meghalaya, a 200 year old system of tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo pipes is
prevalent.
(i) - Bamboo pipes are used to divert perennial springs on the hilltops to the lower reaches by gravity.
(ii) - The channel section made of bamboo, divert water to the plant site, where it is distributed into
branches.
(iii) - If the pipes pass roads, they are taken high above the land on the free branches.
(iv) - Reduced channel section and diversion units are used at the last stage of water application.
Q13 - What do you understand by Quantitative scarcity of water?
Ans. Due to industrialization and urbanization, there is a great demand of fresh water in industries and
urban lifestyle. This demand exerts pressure on freshwater resources. Industries, besides using freshwater,
also use power and this power comes from hydroelectric power station. In India, 22 per cent of total
electricity is derived from hydel power. Multiplying urban centers with large and dense population and
urban lifestyles have further aggravated the problem of scarcity of water. In housing societies and colonies
these days we find most of them are using groundwater pumping devices due to scarcity of city water. The
overexploitation of water is responsible for dipping of groundwater source also.
Q14 - What do you know about hydraulic structures in ancient India?
Ans.( I) In the first century BC, Saverapura near Allahabad had sophisticated water harvesting system,
channeling the flood water of river Ganga.
(ii) During the time of Chandragupta Maurya, dams, lakes and irrigation systems were extensively built.
(iii) Evidences of sophisticated irrigation works have also been found in Kalinga (Odisha) Nagarjun-Konda
(Andhra Pradesh), Bennur (Karnataka) and Kolhapur Maharashtra).
(iv) In the 11th century, Bhopal Lake, one of the largest artificial lakes of its time, was built.
(v) In the 14th century, the take in Hauz Khas, Delhi was constructed by Iltutmish for supplying water to siri
fort area.