Chapter - 3
" Water Resources "
❇️️ Some interesting facts of water :-
๐น96.5 percent of the total amount of water in the world is present in the form of sea and only 2.5 percent is estimated as fresh water.
๐นIndia receives about 4 percent of the global rainfall and ranks 133rd in the world in terms of per capita per year availability of water .
๐นIt is feared that by 2025, large parts of India will be included in water-stressed countries or regions.
❇️️ Water Rarity :-
๐นWater scarcity means lack of water.
❇️️ Due to water scarcity :-
- large population
- Water resources are being over-exploited to expand the irrigated areas.
- With increasing urbanization and industrialization the demand for water has increased.
- Unequal access to water among different social groups.
- Excessive use of water by industries.
- Over-exploitation of water in urban areas.
❇️ How is industrialization and urbanization responsible for water scarcity?
- Rapid industrialization in India after independence.
- Due to the increasing number of industries, excessive use of fresh water.
- Rapid increase in the need for water energy due to the increasing population of the city and the urban lifestyle.
- Over-exploitation of water resources in cities and villages.
❇️️ MNCs :-
๐นCompanies whose industrial institutions operate in more than one country and invest capital in many countries and earn more profit.
❇️️ Hydroelectricity :-
๐นElectricity generated by bringing down the water stream from high places.
❇️ Why is there a need to conserve and manage water despite being a renewable resource?
- There is only 2.5 percent fresh water in the world.
- Over exploitation of water resources.
- Growing population, high demand and unequal access.
- Increasing urbanization.
- industrialization.
❇️️ Aquatic creations in ancient India :-
๐นAn excellent water harvesting system was built to store the flood waters of river Ganges at Shriganvera near Allahabad, a century before Christ.
๐นDuring the time of Chandragupta Maurya, dams, lakes and irrigation systems were built on a large scale.
๐นEvidence of excellent irrigation system is found in Kalinga (Odisha), Nagarjunakonda (Andhra Pradesh), Bennur (Karnataka) and Kolhapur (Maharashtra).
๐นBhopal Lake, one of the largest artificial lakes of its time, was created in the 11th century.
๐นIn the 14th century, Iltutmish built Hauz Khas (a special pond) to supply water to the Siri Fort area in Delhi.
❇️️ Multipurpose Projects :-
๐นEfforts are made to achieve many objectives at a time by building dams on rivers.
❇️️ Bind :-
๐นA barrier erected to prevent, direct, or reduce the flow of flowing water, usually forming a reservoir, lake, or aquifer.
❇️ Benefits of Dams :-
- Irrigation.
- Power Generation .
- Water supply for domestic and industrial needs.
- flood control .
- Recreation and Tourism.
- Fisheries .
❇️ Why are dams now called multipurpose projects?
- The use of water collected from the dam is interdependent.
- Dams are built for flood control, irrigation, power generation and distribution.
- Dams are built to conserve water, vegetation and soil.
- It also helps in promoting tourism.
❇️ Why did Jawaharlal Nehru call dams 'temples of modern India'?
๐นThere are many benefits of dams. They contribute to development, so Nehru ji called them the temples of modern India.
️❇️ Multipurpose Projects in India :-
- Launched after independence with their Integrated Water Resource Management approach.
- Jawaharlal Nehru proudly declared the dams as the temples of modern India.
- It will integrate the development of agriculture and village economy with rapid industrialization and development of urban economy.
️❇️ Multipurpose River Valley Project :-
๐นBy building a dam on the river, fulfilling many purposes with it, it is called a multipurpose river valley project.
❇️ Objectives of Multipurpose River Valley Project :-
- hydropower generation
- irrigation
- domestic and industrial water supply
- navigation and tourism
- flood control
- Fisheries
️❇️ Benefits of Multi-Purpose River Projects :-
- irrigation
- Power Generation
- flood control
- fish breeding
- inland shipping
- domestic and industrial use
❇️ Criticism of multipurpose river project :-
- They affect the natural flow of the river and cause excessive sedimentation to accumulate in the reservoir.
- The river affects the aquatic life in a negative way.
- Mass displacement of the local community.
- Reservoirs created on the floodplain will submerge the existing vegetation and over a period of time cause soil erosion.
❇️️ Narmada Bachao Andolan :-
- Sardar Sarovar Dam was opposed to the construction of the Narmada River.
- Movement run by Non Governmental Organization (NGO).
- The mobilization of tribal people, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists against the Sardar Sarovar project.
- Initially the movement centered on the issue of submergence of forests in dam waters.
- Later its goal became to rehabilitate the displaced.
❇️️ Ground water :-
๐นWater that collects in the rock layer holes and layers lying under the soil.
❇️️ Rain water harvesting :-
๐นA technique in which rain water is filled in empty places, in tanks in homes, in unused wells. It is used later.
๐นIrrigation of fields in hilly areas by changing the course of river stream with vessels like 'Gul' and 'Kul'.
๐นRooftop rainwater harvesting is a common technique for collecting drinking water in Rajasthan.
❇️️ Methods of rain water harvesting :-
- In the hilly areas, people have built channels like Gul and Kul for agriculture. People built channels like Gul and Kul in the Western Himalayas.
- During floods in West Bengal, flood water channels form.
- In the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, agricultural areas were converted into rain storage structures.
- Construction of pits to collect rain water in arid and semi-arid regions.
- Rooftop rain water harvesting.
- Underground tank or tanka for drinking in Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer.
- Boss's drip irrigation system in Meghalaya.
❇️️ Sources of fresh water :-
- From rain
- Surface water – in rivers, lakes etc.
- Groundwater – Water stored in the ground, which gets recharged by rain.
❇️️ Bamboo Drip Irrigation System :-
๐นIrrigation by collecting the water of rivers and springs through bamboo pipes is called bamboo drip irrigation.
❇️️ Water Conservation in Ancient India :-
- In the 1st century BC, Allahabad had a sophisticated water harvesting system.
- Dams, lakes and irrigation systems were built on a large scale during the time of Chandragupta Maurya.
- Sophisticated irrigation works have been found in Kalinga, Nagarjunakonda in Odisha, Bennur in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kolhapur in Maharashtra.
- Bhopal Lake, built in the 11th century, was one of the largest artificial lakes of its time.
- In the 14th century, Iltutmish built a tank at Hauz Khas in Delhi to supply water to the Siri Fort area.
❇️ Stitches: -
๐นRain water can be stored in the tank till the next rainy season. This makes it a water source providing drinking water till the water-scarce summer season.
❇️️ Palar water :-
๐นRain water that is stored in underground tanks is potable water. It is called Palar water.
❇️ Its importance in the dry areas of Rajasthan :-
- It is the main source of drinking water when all other sources have dried up.
- It is considered to be the purest form of drinking water.
- In summer, these tanks keep the underground rooms and the rooms connected to them cool and clean. ,
❇️️ Reasons for increasing water scarcity in India :-
- India is a country of monsoon climate.
- Many times the shortage of water is increasing due to failure of monsoon.
- Rapid increase in the demand for irrigation water.
- Falling of ground water level due to industrial activities.
- Increasing pressure on water resources due to increase in the pace of urbanization.
- To meet the needs of the growing population.
❇️ Negative effects of excessive irrigation :-
- This can have major ecological consequences such as salinization of the soil.
- This reduces the fertility of the soil.
- This causes water shortage.
