3.

Water Resources
I) Fill in the blanks:-
1) Multipurpose projects have been proclaimed ‘Temples of Modern India’ by Jawaharlal
Nehru.
2) Tehri Dam is in the state of Uttarakhand.
3) Bhakra Nangal is constructed on the river Satluj.
4) Damodar Valley Project is situated on the river Damodar in West Bengal.
5) The largest dam in the world is Hirakud.
6) The villages with the most successfully adapted rooftop rain water harvesting is
Gendathur.
7) The factor that has caused poor habitat for aquatic life in a river is due to excessive
sedimentation at the river bottom.
8) Hirakud dam is situated in Orissa.
9) Bhakra Nangal Project is situated in Punjab.
10) Kosi Project is situated in Bihar.
11) The various sources of fresh water are precipitation, surface run-off and ground water.
12) The social movements that have been started against the multi-purpose projects are
Narmada Bachao Andolan and Tehri Dam Andolan.
13) In Rajashtan rain water is called ‘Palar Pani’.

II) Answer the following questions:-

1) How is fresh water obtained?
Ans. Fresh water is obtained from surface run off and ground water which is continually
being renewed and recharged through hydrological cycle.

2) On what factors does availability of water depend on?

Ans. Availability of water depends on the variations in seasonal and annual precipitation.

3) What is water scarcity?

Ans. Water scarcity is a situation wherein there is insufficient water to satisfy our daily
requirements.

4) What are the main causes of water scarcity?

Ans. a) Over-exploitation of water
b) Excessive use of water
c) Unequal access to water
d) Large and growing population

5) How does water becomes a renewable resource?

Ans. As a result of condensation, water once again falls down as precipitation or rainfall on
the earth. The hydrological cycle has made water a renewable resource.

6) How does Industrialisation exert pressure on the existing fresh water resources?
Ans. a) Many Industries are heavy users of water.
b) Industries need power to run them and much of this energy comes from hydro-
electric power.

7) Why are dams referred to as the Multi-Purposed Projects today?

Ans. As, today dams are built not just for irrigation, but for generation of electricity, water
supply for domestic and industrial uses, flood control, recreation, inland navigation, fish
breeding etc.
8) ‘Multi-Purpose Project’ have failed to achieve the purpose for which they were built’
explain.
Ans. a) Dams that were constructed to control floods have caused floods due to
sedimentation in the reservoirs.
b) Floods have devastated life and property and have caused extensive soil erosion.
c) Multi-Purpose projects have induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases and
pest.
d) They have also caused pollution resulting from excessive use of water.

9) What are the advantages of the Bhakra Nangal Project?

Ans. Bhakra Nangal Project is useful for hydel power generation and also for irrigation.

10) What is the objective of Hirakud Project?

Ans. The main objective of Hirakud project is to integrate the conservation of water with
flood control.

11) What are ‘Guls’ or ‘Kuls’?

Ans. In the past, people in the hilly and mountainous regions of the western Himalayas built
diversion channels for agriculture. They were known as ‘Guls’ and ‘Kuls’.

12) Why did Jawaharlal Nehru refer to the dams as the ‘Temples of Modern India’?
Ans. This is because he thought dams will integrate the development of agriculture and
village economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban economy.

13) Multi-purpose projects and large dams have been the cause of many new social
movements like the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’. Why?
Ans. a) Local people had to give up their land, livelihood and meagre access to resources
and control over resources.
b) Local people are not benefitted from such projects.
c) Due to the displacement of local communities on large scale social movements have
started.

14) What are the adverse effects of irrigation?

Ans. a) Irrigation has changed the cropping pattern of many regions. Farmers are shifting to
water intensive and commercial crops.
b) Irrigation have led to salinization of the soils.

15) What are the disadvantages of multipurpose projects?

Ans. Multipurpose projects have induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases and pest
and pollution resulting from excessive use of water.

16) Why is rooftop rainwater harvesting on the decline in Western Rajasthan in recent times?
Ans. In recent times, plenty of water is available in Western Rajasthan due to the perennial
Rajasthan canal.

17) ‘There is a greater need of storage of water for irrigation and power generation in
peninsular India? Why?
Ans. Peninsular Rivers are entirely depended on the monsoon rains and have no source in
the snow covered mountains and hence they are seasonal.

18) What is the traditional use of dams?

Ans. The traditional use of dams is to impound (seize) rivers and trap rain water to irrigate
agricultural fields.
19) Why is agricultural fields in Jaisalmer converted into rain-fed storage structures?
Ans. Because these structures called khadins allow the water to stand and moisten the soil.

20) Why were the underground rooms adjoining the ‘tanka’ built in Rajasthan?
Ans. a) water is used for drinking purpose till the next rainfall when all other sources are
dried up in summer.
b) To beat the summer heat to keep the room cool.

21) Why are the Himalayan rivers perennial while the peninsular rivers seasonal?
Ans. a) Most of the Himalayan rivers rise in the snow covered mountains and have their
sources in the glaciers and snow fields.
b) Peninsular rivers entirely depend on the monsoon rains they are seasonal.

22) ‘Availability of water resources varies over space and time’ why?
Ans. a) due to the variations in seasonal and annual precipitation.
b) Water scarcity in most cases is caused by over exploitation, excessive use and unequal
access to water among different social groups.

23) How is water scarcity an outcome of large and growing population?

Ans. a) Large and growing population means greater demand for water and unequal access
to it.
b) A large population means more use of water for domestic purpose and to produce
food.

24) What are the objectives of rainwater harvesting?

Ans. a) To meet the increasing demand for water.
b) To supplement water requirement during summer and long dry spell.

25) How have increasing urban centres aggravated (made more severe) the problem of water
scarcity?
Ans. a) Increasing urban centres have added to the existing water requirements and power
requirements.
b) Most of the housing societies have their own groundwater pumping devices. They
over-exploit the ground water resources and deplete them.

26) ‘Some areas with sufficient water availability also suffer from water scarcity’. Why?
Ans. a) Even if there is ample water much of it may be polluted by domestic and industrial
waste.
b) Chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture also pollute the water.
c) The pollutants make drinking water hazardous for human use.

27) How have dams created conflicts between people? Give examples?
Ans. a) In Gujarat, farmer have agitated and caused riots over the higher priority given to the
water supply in urban areas during droughts.
b) There are interstate water dispute with regards to sharing the cost and benefits of the
Multi-Purpose Projects.

28) Why is conservation and management of water resources needed in India?

Ans. a) Rainfall is seasonal.
b) Rainfall is unevenly distributed at all places.
c) Rivers are flooded in regions of heavy rainfall and they cause a large scale destruction
to life and property.
29) What steps should be taken to conserve water resources?
Ans. a) more dams should be constructed to check the fury of water.
b) More tanks should be constructed to utilize the water that flows into the sea.
c) The flooding rivers could be linked to rivers with meagre flow through canals.

30) Explain how rain water harvesting was practised in different parts of India?
Ans. a) In hilly and mountainous regions of the western Himalayas people built diversion
channels called ‘guls’ and ‘kuls’.
b) In Rajasthan, roof top rain water harvesting was practised to store drinking water.
c) In Bikaner underground ‘tankas’ were constructed.
d) In Bengal people developed flood channels to irrigate the fields.

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