CLASS- VI SUBJECT- SCIENCE CH -14 WATER (NOTES

+NCERT Q/A)
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Students can take printouts of the notes and file them neatly. Notes need not to be copied in
the Science Notebook.
NOTES

It is common knowledge that water is important on our Earth and without water, life
as we know it would cease to exist. While Earth has an abundant reservoir of
water, covering three-fourths of its surface, Freshwater is a mere 2.6% of the total
water. Water is said to be a renewable resource but the rate at which humans and
animals are using water, fresh water might be a scarce resource in the recent
future. Our body is also made up of 70% water and we use water for a number of
reasons from cooking to cleaning and of course drinking it. A lot of experts predict
that the next World War will be fought over water!

Figure 1 Two-thirds of Earth’s surface covered with water

Where does water come from?
People living in different regions have different sources of the water that they use. While
some draw it from wells, ponds and lakes directly, others like many of us receive water
through taps via a network of pipes connected to these lakes, ponds and rivers.

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Sources of water
As mentioned above, about two-thirds of the total earth’s surface is covered with water,
but unfortunately, only a small percentage (2 to 3 per cent) is suitable for human
use. The other 99.7 per cent available are found in oceans, sea, groundwater, floating in
the atmosphere and in icecaps. This water is not safe and is unsuitable for human
consumption, as it consists excess salt, toxins and other impurities, which can lead to
illness and other health disorders.
Rivers, ponds, lakes and groundwater are the different sources of water, which can be
used for drinking, cooking and other human uses only after proper treatment like boiling,
filtering, etc.

Uses of water
Below are the different uses of water in various fields:

1. Cleaning
2. Drinking.
3. Bathing.
4. Washing.
5. Irrigation.
6. Gardening.
7. Cooking food.
8. Transportation.
9. Manufacturing goods.
10. For generating power.
11. Production in industries.
12. Recreational activities like swimming, water sports.

Freshwater
Freshwater is a naturally occurring water present on the earth’s surface in ponds, rivers.
The major source of rainwater is precipitation in the atmosphere.

Water Cycle
To know how these rivers get their water from we need to study a little about the
water cycle and the processes of evaporation and condensation.
Evaporation: The process of conversion of water into its gaseous state i.e.
vapours is known as evaporation.
Condensation: The process of conversion of vapours into water is referred to as
condensation.
Water cycle can be defined as the process through which water gets evaporated
from open surfaces like oceans and seas, gets condensed as it rises in the cool
atmosphere and ultimately pours down as rain (precipitation) back into oceans,
lakes, rivers and ponds.

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 Figure 2 Water cycle
Transpiration: The process of evaporation of water from the surface of the leaves
into the atmosphere is defined as the process of transpiration. In this manner,
plants also contribute to the water cycle.
It is through the process of water cycle that we are able to make use of the ocean
water. Ocean water is saline in nature and hence cannot be used directly. When it
gets evaporated, it leaves behind the salts and forms clouds.
As the warm air from these surfaces rises into the cold air of the atmosphere,
saturation and condensation occur to form tiny droplets of water which result in
cloud formation.
These clouds then lead to rainfall and snow which deposit in lakes, wells and
ponds is then used by us to satisfy our needs. Apart of this rainwater gets
absorbed by the soil, some of it gets evaporated while the rest seeps in the ground
and becomes another source of water for us in the form of groundwater.
Handpumps, wells and even lakes draw water from groundwater. The water cycle is
a continuous process.

Ground Water
The water present underground or beneath the earth’s surface in spaces of soil and
rocks are called groundwater.
Groundwater can be obtained using wells, tube wells, hand pumps etc

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Excess v/s deficient rainfall
Intensity and duration of rain vary in different regions across the country. While
rainfall is very important for irrigation and the continuous availability of water,
excess rainfall can pose a number of problems. Due to excess rainfall, the water
level of rivers and oceans rises which can potentially spread and submerge nearby
cities and villages which poses a grave danger to both life and property. These are
known as floods.

Figure 3 Floods posing danger to property and life

Similarly, deficient rainfall can also prove to be life-threatening. A lot of farmers in
India continue to depend on rainfall to irrigate their fields. In case of deficient rain,
soil and wells still continue to lose water through transpiration and evaporation and
if it doesn’t rain for a prolonged period, fields can dry up because even the
groundwater does not get replenished. These are known as droughts.

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 Figure 4 Dried fields as a result of droughts
Conservation of water
There are a number of reasons why water conservation needs to be a priority for
everyone. Here are some of them:
• Mostly all water is in the oceans in saline form and can’t be used directly
• While the total water on Earth does not change, but the water available for
us to use diminishes with overuse
• When the groundwater goes below drastically, it cannot be accessed
anymore
• Water is required in industries and for production of food
• The population growth is exponential but the water sources are only
depleting

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 Figure 5 A few tips to help save water

Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater does not always fall on soil or water sources; in fact, much of it falls on
rooftops of houses and concrete roads and thus does not become a part of
groundwater. Hence, a very important method has been devised to harvest
rainwater so that it can be stored for future use:
Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting – In this method, rainwater that falls on rooftops is
allowed to pass in a storage tank through pipes. This water might be dirty and
hence not fit for direct use; hence it can be allowed to seep directly into the ground
with the help of pipes.

Another option is to allow the rainwater to go directly into the ground from roadside
drains.

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 NCERT Q/A

4. Suppose you want to dry your school uniform quickly. Would spreading it near an anghiti
or heater help you? If yes, how?
Ans: Yes, to dry the school uniform quickly, the uniform is spread near an anghiti or heater
because evaporation is rapid at higher temperature. Higher the temperature faster is the rate of
evaporation. So the uniform is dried up quickly.

5. Take out a cooled bottle of water from refrigerator and keep it on a table. After some time
you notice a puddle of water around it. Why?
Ans: The cooled water bottle has very cold exposed surface. Due to cool surface there is
condensation of water-vapour from air on the surface of water bottle because water vapour is
present in atmosphere. The water vapour changes to tiny water droplets. So a puddle of water is
noticed after sometime.

6.To clean their spectacles, people often breathe out on glasses to make them wet. Explain
why the glasses become wet?
Ans: The breathe out air contain water-vapour. The water-vapour condenses at spectacles so
glass becomes wet and with the help of small amount of water, it is easy to clean the spectacles.

7. How are clouds formed?

Ans: The water present on the earth evaporates due to heating by the sun. The water vapour in
the air condenses to form tiny droplets of water at high altitude, which appears as clouds. Thus
clouds are formed by the condensation of water vapours present in air at high altitude.

8. When does a drought occur?

Ans: If there is no rain for a long period or for many years then there is scarcity of water in that
region. This causes cracks to appear in soil as it goes very dry. This leads to drought.

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