Water Resources and Management
NCERT Class 10 - Contemporary India II, Chapter 3 • NCERT Class 12 - India People and Economy
Water Resources and Management
Water is a renewable resource, but not an unlimited one. India receives a large volume of rainfall, yet much of it falls in a few months and runs off quickly, so scarcity is a problem of distribution and management as much as of quantity.
Water resources and their use
- India's water comes from surface water in rivers, lakes, ponds and tanks, and from groundwater in aquifers.
- Rainfall is concentrated in a few monsoon months, is very unevenly distributed across regions, and varies sharply from year to year.
- Agriculture is by far the largest user of water in India, ahead of industry and domestic use.
- Groundwater provides the majority of irrigation and drinking water in many states, and is being withdrawn faster than it is recharged in the north-western and southern peninsular states.
Why scarcity occurs
- Uneven rainfall - deserts and rain shadow areas receive very little, while the north-east and the west coast receive a great deal.
- Over-extraction of groundwater, especially for water intensive crops grown where the climate does not suit them.
- Growing demand from population, urbanisation and industry, each competing with agriculture for the same source.
- Pollution of rivers and aquifers by sewage, industrial effluent and agricultural chemicals, which makes water unusable even where it is present.
- Scarcity can therefore exist even in an area with plentiful rainfall, if the water is polluted or inaccessible to the poor.
Multipurpose river projects
| Argument in favour | Argument against |
|---|---|
| Irrigation for a large command area | Submergence of forest and farmland and displacement of people |
| Hydroelectric power and flood control | Sedimentation of the reservoir reduces storage over time |
| Drinking water supply and navigation | Excessive irrigation can cause waterlogging and salinity |
| Fisheries, tourism and industrial water | Regulating flow can worsen flooding downstream in heavy rain |
- Jawaharlal Nehru described large dams as the temples of modern India because they combined irrigation, power and industry in one project.
- The Narmada Bachao Andolan is the best known movement raising the question of displacement and rehabilitation, and such movements changed the way large projects are assessed.
- Multipurpose projects are now evaluated with social and environmental costs counted alongside economic benefits.
Conservation and management
- Rainwater harvesting - collecting and storing rain where it falls, through rooftop tanks, recharge pits, check dams and village ponds.
- Traditional systems show long experience - khadins and tankas of Rajasthan, johads in the Haryana and Rajasthan belt, ahar-pyne in south Bihar, kuls in the western Himalayas, and bamboo drip irrigation in Meghalaya.
- Watershed management treats the whole catchment - contour bunding, check dams, afforestation and land levelling together - so that water is retained where it falls.
- Efficiency in use - drip and sprinkler irrigation, recycling of industrial water, repairing leaks in urban supply, and pricing that discourages waste.
- The core principle is to treat water as a common resource with a local guardian, since community managed systems have generally outperformed purely official ones.
हिंदी संकेत: आहर-पाइन दक्षिण बिहार की परंपरागत जल प्रणाली है - आहर जलाशय और पाइन नहर। यह स्थानीय उदाहरण परीक्षा में पूछा जाता है।
Exam me kaise aata hai
Match-the-following on traditional water system and its region is very common. Factual questions ask which sector uses the most water and what watershed management means. Application questions ask why scarcity can exist in a high rainfall area.
UPSC / State PSC ke liye
Frame scarcity as a problem of availability, access and quality, not merely of quantity - water may be physically present but unusable if polluted, or unreachable if the poor cannot afford to extract it. On dams, present the cost-benefit argument from both sides and conclude with the need for rehabilitation and environmental appraisal.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ Industry is the largest user of water in India | ✓ Agriculture is by far the largest user
✗ Water scarcity occurs only in low rainfall areas | ✓ It can occur anywhere if water is polluted or inaccessible
✗ Rainwater harvesting means building large dams | ✓ It means collecting and storing rain where it falls
Ek nazar me
- Water comes from surface sources and groundwater; agriculture is the largest user.
- Rainfall is concentrated in a few months and very unevenly distributed.
- Scarcity results from uneven rainfall, over-extraction, rising demand and pollution.
- Multipurpose projects give irrigation, power and flood control but cause displacement and sedimentation.
- The Narmada Bachao Andolan raised the question of displacement and rehabilitation.
- Traditional systems - khadin and tanka, johad, ahar-pyne, kul and bamboo drip irrigation.
- Watershed management and efficient irrigation are the core conservation measures.
Ab isi chapter ke questions ExamAtlas mock test me practice karo.