1.

Water :-
Water is a renewable resource. three-fourth of the earths surface
is covered with water, but only a small proportion of it accounts
for freshwater that can be put to use.
2. Some facts and Figures :-
• 96.5 percent of the total volume of world’s water is
estimated to exist as oceans
• and only 2.5 percent as freshwater.
• India receives nearly 4 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 parts of India will join
countries or regions having absolute water scarcity
3,Sources Of Freshwater
• Precipitation :- from rainfall.
• Surface water :- in rivers, lakes, etc.
• Ground water :- water stored in underground acquifers
which gets recharged by rainfall.

4.Underground Water OR Ground water

🔹 The water which is collected in the layers
and rock pores below the soil.

5.Conservation :-
🔹 The protection of plants and animals, natural areas and
interesting and important buildings especially from the
damaging effects of human activity

6.Water scarcity :-
🔹 Water scarcity means shortage of water.
Causes of Water Scarcity :-
• Large growing population. water resources are being over-
exploited to expand irrigated areas.
• greater demand for water with growing urbanisation and
industrialisation.
• unequal access to water among diÕerent social groups.
• Excessive use of water by industries.
• Over exploitation of water in the urban areas

7.whatis water pollution (qualitative aspects of

water scarcity)
• Water pollution can be defined as the contamination of
water bodies.
• Water pollution is caused when water bodies such as
rivers, lakes, oceans, groundwater and aquifers get
contaminated with industrial and agricultural effluents.
• When water gets polluted, it adversely affects all
lifeforms that directly or indirectly depend on this
source. The effects of water contamination can be felt
for years to come.
Main causes of water pollution :-
• Domestic wastes,
• Industrial wastes are disposed in the water without proper
treatment.
• Chemical eÙuents from industries and from agricultural
sector.
• Pesticides and fertilisers used in agriculture
• Many human activities, e.g., religious rituals and immersing
of idols, etc. in the
• water also pollute water

8.how industrialization led to water scarcity?

• The everincreasing number of industries has made
• matters worse by 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

Multinational companies(MNCS) :-
🔹 Those companies whose industrial organisations work more
than in a single nation and they invest capital in many countries
to earn maximum profits.

9.how urbanization led to water scarcity?

• in India hydroeclectric power contributes
approximately 22 per cent of the total electricity
produced. Moreover,
• multiplying urban centres with large and dense
populations
• and urban lifestyles
• have led to increased demand for water and energy
• societies or colonies in the cities have groundwater
pumping devices to meet their water needs.
• the above factors led to overexploitation of the fragile
water resources and have caused their depletion in
several of these cities

10 examples of water pollution specifically river

pollution in india?
india’s rivers, especially the smaller ones, have all turned into
toxic streams. And even the big ones like the Ganga and Yamuna
are far from being pure

11..How the industrialisation and urbanisation are

responsible for the water scarcity :-
 • Rapid industrialisation after the independence.
• Due to ever-increasing number of industries excess use of
fresh water.
• Multiplying urban centres with large and dense population
and urban lifestyles
• have added to water and energy requirements.
• Overexploitation of water resources in cities as well as in
villages

12Reason of need for conservation of water resources :-

• Water resources are limited and our requirements are
increasing day by day.
• Most of our resources are polluted and unsuitable for
drinking and other
• purposes.
• To safeguard ourselves from health hazards.
• To ensure food security and for continuation of our
livelihoods.
• To prevent degradation natural ecosystem.of our water
bodies.

13Reasons for increasing water scarcity in India

:-
• India is a country of Monsoon climate. Some time due to the
failure of Monsoon
• the scarcity of water Increases.
• The rapid growth in the demand of irrigation water.
• Due to the industrial activities downfall of underground
water.
• Growing pressure on the water resources due to the pace of
urbanisation.
• To meet the needs of the growing population.

14.Hydroelectricity(hydel power):-
🔹 Electricity generation from the flowing water/rivers
by throwing it from height

15.measures adopted for conservation of

water resources :-
• Do not overdraw the ground water, recharge the ground
water.
• Avoid wastage of water at all levels.
• Do not pollute the water.
• tapping the rainwater in reservoirs, watershed development
programmes, etc.
• Drip irrigation and sprinklers etc., especially in dry areas.

16.How was water conserved in ancient India or

the Hydraulic Structures in Ancient India?

• 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 wereextensively built.
• Evidences of sophisticated irrigation works have also been
found
1. in Kalinga,(Odisha)
2. Nagarjunakonda (AndhraPradesh),
3. Bennur (Karnataka),
4. 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
17.what are Dams?
• A dam is a barrier across flowing water
• that obstructs, directs or retards the flow,
• often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment.
• “Dam” refers to the reservoir rather than the structure.

18.what is an spillway or weir ?

• Most dams have a section called a spillway or weir
• over which or through which
• it is intended that water will flow either
• intermittently or continuously.

19. Classification of Dams

. Based on structure and the materials used,

dams are classified as

• timber dams,
• embankment dams or masonry
• dams, with several subtypes.

According to the height, dams can be categorised as

• large dams and major dams or
alternatively
1. low dams,
2. medium height dams
3. high dams

20.why Modern day dams are called Multipurpose

projects
1. Dams were traditionally built to impound
• rivers
• rainwater
that could be used later to irrigate agricultural fields.
Today, dams are built not just for
1. irrigation
2. but for multiple purposes like electricity generation,
3. water supply for domestic and industrial uses
4. , flood control,
5. recreation, inland navigation
6. fish breeding.
Hence, dams are now referred to as multi-purpose
projects .

21.examples of Multiple purpose projects

1. in the Sutluj-Beas river basin, the Bhakra – Nangal project
water is being used both for hydel power production and
irrigation.
2. the Hirakud project in the Mahanadi basin integrates
conservation of water with flood control.

22.why Jawaharlal Nehru proudly proclaimed

the dams as the ‘temples of modern India

the reason being that

1. it would integrate development of agriculture and thevillage
economy
2. with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban
economy.

23."In recent years, multi-purpose projects

and large dams have come under great
scrutiny and opposition for a variety of
reasons". what are this reasons ?

1. Regulating and damming of rivers

 1. affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow
2. and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir,
3. resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the
rivers’ aquatic life.

2.Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic

fauna to migrate, especially for spawning.

3.The reservoirs that are created on the floodplains also

submerge the existing vegetation and soil leading to its
decomposition over a period of time

24.why there is resistance and why environmental

movements are launched against the Multi purpose
projects
Resistance to Multipurpose 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.

25 name two new Environmental movemensts

launched against Multi purpose projects?

• the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’

• Tehri Dam Andolan

26.write a short note on 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).

27.A shortnote on the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan/

“Are we the only ones chosen to
make sacrifices for the nation?" this statement was made in the
reference to which movemnt

• Narmada Bachao Andolan or Save Narmada Movement is a

Non Governmental Organisation (NGO
• that mobilised
I. tribal people,
II. farmers,
III. environmentalists
IV. 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 oustees (displaced people) to get full
rehabilitation facilities from the government.

28.What ecological consequences does water

intensive and commercial crops creates
consequences are
• salinisation of the soil.
• transformation of the social landscape i.e. increasing the
social gap between the richer landowners and the
landless poor
29 How did the dams create conflicts between
people wanting different uses and benefits
from the same water resources / what are the
other problems caused by MPP?
• In Gujarat, the Sabarmati-basin farmers caused a riot over
• the higher priority given to water supply in urban areas,
particularly during droughts.

• Inter-state water disputes are also becoming common

with regard to sharing the costs and benefits of the multi-
purpose projecys
• the diversion of more water at Koyna by the Maharashtra
government for a multipurpose project. would reduce
downstream flow in Andra Pradesh and Karnataka with
adverse consequences for agriculture and industry.this led to
Krishna godavari water dispute.

31.what are ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES OF MULTI

PURPOSE PROJECTS ?

ADVANTAGES OF MULTI PURPOSE PROJECTS :-

• Irrigation
• Hydro- electricity for our industries and homes.
• Water supply for domestic and industrial use, regulating
flow of water.
• Flood control
• Recreational facilities
• Inland navigation
• Pisciculture fish breeding
• Soil conservation through aÕorestation.
DISADVANTAGES OF MULTI PURPOSE PROJECTS :-
 • Their failure to fulfill their basic objectives like flood control
and the disadvantages resulting out of building of such
projects.
• Regulating and damming of rivers affect the natural flow of
the rivers, cause excessive sedimentation and adversely
affect aquatic life.
• The reservoirs that are created in the floodplains overflow
and submerge the existing vegetation and soil consequently
leading to their decomposition.
• Multi purpose projects lead to large scale displacement of
local communities and to loss of their livelihood.
• Excessive use of water, and over-irrigation on account of the
projects lead to and degradation and cause water borne
disease, pests and pollution.

32.What is rain water harvesting?

The harvesting of rainwater simply involves
• the collection of water from surfaces on which rain falls,
• and subsequently storing this water for later use.
• Normally water is collected from the roofs of buildings and
stored in rainwater tanks.

33.how people harvested rain water In ancient

India?
In ancient India,
• there were sophisticated hydraulic structures,.
• People had in-depth knowledge of rainfall regimes and soil
types
• In 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
 • 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.

Rain water harvesting

34.what are tankas ?
• The tankas were part of the rooftop rainwater harvesting
system and were built inside the main house or the
courtyard
• The tanks could be as large as a big room
• 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.
• The rainwater can be stored in the
• tankas till the next rainfall making it an
• extremely reliable source of drinking water
• Many houses constructe underground rooms adjoining the
‘tanka’ to beat the summer heat as it would keep the room
cool.

35. why in western Rajasthan the practice of rooftop

rainwater harvesting is on
the decline ?
because plenty of water is available due to the perennial Indira
Gandhi Canal.

36.what is BAMBOO DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM

• it is a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and spring

water by using bamboo pipes prevalent In Meghalaya,
• 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
 37.important ponts to remember
* The rainwater which is stored in underground
tanks is potable water. It is
called Palar Pani

*Rooftop rainwater harvesting is the most

common practice in Shillong, Meghalaya

*Mawsynram situated at a distance of

55 km. from Shillong receive the highest
rainfall in the world

*Tamil Nadu is the first state in India which has

made rooftop rainwater harvesting structure
compulsory to all the houses across the state. There
are legal provisions to punish the defaulters.

38.what is the significance of Palar Pani in the arid

regions of Rajasthan :-
🔹 In the arid regions of Rajasthan, it is important in the following
ways :-
• It is the main source of drinking water, when all other
sources have dried up.
• It is considered the purest form of drinking water.
• In summer, these tanks would keep the underground rooms
cool, adjoining
• them, clean.
39.what are the negative effects of over irrigation :-
• This has great ecological consequences like Stalinization of
the soil.
• Decrease the soil fertility.
• leads to water scarcity.