ARPANA
CLASS-10 TH
WATER RESOURCES
• Water is a renewable resource.
• 3/4th of earth’s surface is covered with water but a small proportion of it accounts for fresh water fit for use.
• Fresh water is mainly obtained from surface runoff and ground water that is renewed and recharged through the
hydrological cycle.
• 96.5% of the total volume of the world’s water is estimated to exist as oceans and only 2.5% as fresh water.
• India receives nearly four percent of the global precipitation and ranks 133 in the world in terms of water
availability per person per annum.
• By 2025, it is predicted that large part of India join countries and regions having absolute water scarcity.
Water scarcity
• The availability of water resources varies over space and time, mainly due to the variation in seasonal and annual
precipitation.
• Water Scarcity in most cases is caused by over-exploitation, excessive use and unequal access to water.
• Water Scarcity may be an outcome of large and growing population and consequent greater demands for water,
and unequal access to it.
• As the population increases, the food demand also increases. To provide food for large population, agriculture is
done on large scale. Agriculture needs much water for irrigation specially in dry season.
• Intensive industrialisation and urbanisation causing water scarcity.
NOTE: Situation where water is sufficiently available to meet the needs of the people, but the area still suffers from water
scarcity because of the bad quality of water which is polluted by industries and domestic wastes, chemical, pesticides and
fertilizers used in agriculture making it hazardous for human use.
Need for water conservation and Management
• To meet the water demand effectively.
• To Safeguard from health hazards caused by drinking toxic water.
• To ensure food security.
• To prevent the degradation of our natural ecosystems.
• To reduce over-exploitation and mismanagement of water resources.
Multi-Purpose River Projects And Integrated Water Resource Management
• Hydraulic Structures in Ancient India
i. For chanelling the flood water of Ganga water harvesting system was built near Allahabad in first century B.C.
ii. Dams, lakes and irrigation systems were built during the time of Chandragupta Maurya.
iii. Sophisticated irrigation systems were found in Odisha, Andhra pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
iv. In 11th century, Bhopal lake one of the largest artificial lakes of its time was built.
iv. The tank in Hauz Khas, Delhi was constructed by Iltutmish for supplying water to Siri fort area in the 14 th
century.
Multi-purpose River Projects.
Dams
• A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake
or impoundment.
• Multi-purpose river projects, large dams that serve several purposes in addition to impounding the water of river
and used later to irrigate agricultural fields.
Advantages of Multi-purpose river Projects
• Electricity generation, Irrigation
• Water supply for domestic and industrial uses
• Flood control
• Recreation
• Inland navigation
• Fish breeding
Sardar Sarovar Dam
• Sardar Sarovar Dam has been built over the Narmada River in Gujarat.
• It is one of largest water source Projects of India covering four states – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and
Rajasthan.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
• Launched in 2015-16 Protective irrigation to all agricultural field.
Disadvantages of multi-purpose river projects.
• It affects the natural flow of the river causing poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of
the reservoir.
• It destroys the habitats for the river’s aquatic life.
• It submerges the existing vegetation and soil on the flood plains.
• It displaces the local people of the place where these are created.
• It is unsuccessful in controlling floods at the time of excessive rainfall.
• These projects induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases and Pests.
Movements against Multi-Purpose Projects
• Multi-purpose projects and large dams have also been cause of many environmental movements like the
‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’.
• Resistance to these projects has primarily been due to the large-scale displacement of local communities.
Local people often had to give up their land, livelihood and their meagre access and control over resources for the greater
good of the nation.
• Perhaps, the landowners and large farmers, and a few urban centres are only benefitting from such projects.
• In Gujarat, the Sabarmati basin farmers agitated and almost caused a riot over the higher priority given to water
supply in urban areas, particularly during droughts.
• Inter-State water disputes are also common with regard to sharing the costs and benefits of the multi-purpose
project.
Eg- Kaveri water dispute – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Pondicherry.
• Krishna-Godavari water dispute – Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
• The water dispute between Punjab and Haryana over the Ravi and Beas rivers.
Rainwater Harvesting
• Economically and environmentally viable alternative in period of resistance against multi-purpose projects.
• Variation in water harvesting system, keeping the local ecological conditions and their water needs in mind.
• Guls and kuls – in mountain region of Western Himalayas for agriculture impoundment in hill tops.
• Khadins’ and ‘Johads’ - Jaisalmer and Rajasthan. In arid area, agricultural fields were converted into rain fed
storage structures.
Bamboo drip irrigation system - in Meghalaya 200-year-old system of using bamboo pipes to transport water.