Water Resources
,~-;:- Very Short Answer Type Questions - - - - - - - - 1 1 mark each)
Q. 1. How has Shillong solved the problem of
acute shortage of water?
OR
How has Tamil Nadu solved the problem
of acute shortage of water?
(CBSE OD, Set 1, 2019]
Ans. Shillong has been able to deal with the
problem of acute shortage of waler by
setting up Bamboo drip irrigation systems
,fi' Short Answer Type Questions-II _________ 13 marks each)
Q. 1. ''The dams that were constructed to
contro1 floods have triggered floods.''
Analyse the state~e;~E OD, Set l, 20191
Ans. Our first Prime Minister, Mr. Ja waha rlal
Nehru, called the d ams "the temple of
modern India ". These dams, that have
been constructed to support the econom-
ic development of the country, can be de-
structive at times.
They may cause fl oods because
sometimes, they are cons tructed without
proper planning and sometimes low
standard construction material is u sed.
This inferior qu ali ty of constru ction
material increases the chances of floods.
Construction of these dams can make
the a rea, in which they are constructed,
·earthquake prone', which may lead to
landslides and the water to flow ou t
of dams. The sudden release of waler
from dams can also cou rse flood and
devastation.
Q. 2. Analyse the merits of Multipurpose
projects. [CBSE OD, Set 2, 20191
Ans. Merits of multipurpose projects are given
below:
(i) Dams are built fo r genera ting
hydroelectricity.
(ii) Canals a re made for irrigation pur-
pose.
(iii) Canals can also be used for inland
navigation.
and Roof top rain water harvesting. This
helped Shillong meet its total water
requirement of each household.
OR
Tamil Nadu has been able to deal with
the problem of acute shortage of wate r
by adopting rooftop water harvesting
techniques. This practice was made
mandatory under the law for all houses
across the sta te.
(iv) Water su pply can be used for domes-
tic and industrial purpose.
7
Q. J. ;~~;::rn:c:;::n;~::i:t o~~~c;:.~a~'~
Analyse the statement.
[CBSE Delhi, Set 1, 2019)
Ans. A la rge population requires more wa-
ter not only fo r domestic use but also
to produce more food . Hence, to faci li-
tate higher food g rain production, water
resources are being over exploited to
expand irrigated areas for dry season ag-
ricu lture. Irriga ted agriculture is the larg-
est consumer of water. Post independent
India witnessed intensive industrialisa-
tion and urbanisation, creating vast op-
portu nities for u s. Today, large industrial
houses are as common place as the indus-
trial units of many MNCs. The ever-in-
creasing number of industries have made
matters worse by exerting pressu re on
existing freshwater resources. Industries,
apart from being heavy users of water,
also require power to run them. Much
of this energy comes from hydroelec-
tric power. Most of these have their own
groundwater pumping devices to meet
their water need s, w hich resu lts in frag-
ile water resources being over explo ited.
This has ca used fa lling ground-water lev-
els in several of these cities.
Q. 4. Analyse the importance of 'rainwater
harvesting.' (CBSE Delhi, Set 2, 2019)
Ans. It is a technique of increasing the recharge
o f groundwater by collecting and storing
rainwater by constructing structures,
such as d ug wells, percolation pits and
check dams.
(i) In most cases, the harvested water is
usually redirected to storage tanks,
cistern or reservoirs. First and fore-
most, the collection offers a better
and efficient utilization of energy
resource. It is important because po-
table wa ter is usually not renewable.
(ii) Harvt..>sting allows the collection
of large amounts of rainwater.
Rainwater is usually free from
harmful chemicals, which makes it
ideal for irrigation purposes.
(iii) Another important advantage is that
it reduces demand for potable wa-
ter. It is important especially in areas
with low water levels.
Rainwater harvesting, thus, is
considered as a very reliable way to
conserve water.
Q. 5. Analyse the impact of 'waler scarcity.'
[CBSE Delhi, Set 3, 2019]
Ans. Water is one of the most important
requirement for agriculture and
livestock. Water is needed for irrigating
~ I Topper's Answers
the crops; thus, water scarcity
immediately leads to loss of crops. The
scarcity of water damages the already
sown crops. Livestock is affected as
the fodder (a nimal feed ) production is
also decreased manifolds due to water
scarcity. The domestic farm s need water
for its proper maintenance. So, water
scarcity is a threat to both these sectors.
Water scarci ty directly affects human
beings and animals. Absence of potable
water for drinking and other purposes
causes a lot of diseases and problems
to human beings. This hinders their
daily routines and they are unable to
discharge their dail y duties.
t
Without access to clean water, there is
no way one ca n avail proper sanitation
facilities. Access to quality water is
fundamental to better living standard and
economic growth. Absence of that lowers
the li ving standards of the country.
Natural land scapes suffers the most
because of water scarcity as it contributes
to desertification, loss of plants and death
of wildlife.
Q. 6. How has the ever increasing number of
industries in India made worse position
by exerting pressure on existing fresh
water resources? Explain. ICBSE, 20181
 Ans. (i) India has witnessed intensive
industrialisation a nd urbanisation for
the last few yea rs. The ever increasing
number of industries has made
matter worse by exerting pressure on
existing fresh water resources. Fresh
water is required in thermal energy
plants and steel industries on a large
t
scale.
(ii) Industries, apart from being heavy
users of water also require power to
run it which in tum needs add itional
water.
(iii) We have to consider a situation
where water is sufficiently available
but these areas still suffer from water
scarcity. This sca rcity may be due
to bad quality of water or polluted
water.
Q. 7. "Irrigation has changed the cropping pat-
tern of many regions in India." Analyse
the statement. (CBSE OD, Set 3, 2019)
Ans. A well developed irrigation facility reduces
the dependence of farm ers on monsoons
and ensures regular supply of water.
Irrigation facilities also ensures installation
of tube wells, pumps in the farm lands that
enable the farmer to irrigate large portions
of land more effectively. They also facilitate
the construction of dams that help in
generating electricity. Better irrigation has
contributed in the increased production
of maize in states like Kamataka, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and
multicropping has also become possible
due to irrigation. Water intensive cropping
is now done in places like Ganganagar and
Hanumangarh region of Rajasthan where
the Indira Gandhi canal has facilitated
easier and better irrigation.
Q. 8. Why is the rooftop rainwater harvesting
the most common practice in Shillong
inspite of the fact that Cherrapunjee and
Mawsynram receiving highest rainfall
in the world are situated only at a
distance of 55 kms from there? Explain.
ICBSE, Term 1, 20161
Ans. The roof lop rainwater harvesting is
the most common practice in Shillong
inspite of the fa ct that Cherrapunjee
and Mawsynram receiving the highest
rainfall in the world are situated only at
a distance of 55 kms from there. Inspite
of being very close to the area of highest
rainfall in the world, Shillong faces
acute shortage of water. Nearly every
household in the city has a rooftop
rainwater harvesting structure. Nearly
15-25% of the total water requirement
of the hou sehold comes from rooftop
water harvesting.
Q. 9. Explain any three causes of water
scarcity. (CBSE, Term 1, 2015]
Ans. Shortage of water is called the scarcity
of water. It is due to the less rainfall or
ocrurs in the drought prone area .
Causes of water scarcity are:
(i) India is the second largest populated
country in the world and for more
population, we need more water to
produce crops or other domestic use.
(ii) Excessive use of waler in the
industries for producing more hydro
electricity.
(iii) Over exploitation of water in urban
areas leads to the water scarcity in
India.
"?-,;: Long Answer Type Questions - - - - - - - - - - 1 5 marks each)
Q . 1. What is the need for conservation of
water resources? Suggest three measure
to conserve water resources.
(CBSE, Term 1, 2015)
Ans. Water is the basic need of the people. It is
a natural resource needed by every Jiving
being on the globe. It is limited and nec-
essary to conserve it. Reasons to conserve
water can be explained as follows:
(i) Water resources in India are limited
and our population is increasing day
by day so the wa ler requirement is
also increasing day by day.
(ii) Ava ilability of water in our country
is uneven, so it is necessary to make
it available to all.
(iii) Water resources are being polluted
d ay by day, especially in the urban
areas and are not suitable for
drinking purpose.
(iv) It is necessary lo conserve water to
make it available lo all for the con-
tinuation of our livelihood and to
save our ecosystem as well as human
beings.
Measures to Conserve Water Resources:
(i) Save water, avoid water wastage in
domestic as well as at all other levels.
(ii) Recharge ground water by using rain
water harvesting etc.
(iii) Use drip irrigation and sprinklers
methods to irrigate the fields.
 CHAPTER 2.3

Water Resources

Kri~lma.
ONE MARK QUESTIONS
13. Ou which river t.l1c Snlnl Dam is built ?
1 Name any one river Yallcy project which ha.-. Aus : ICBSE2015)
signific uutl)· contributed to the loss of forests. Chcnah.
Ans: ICBS E20U) 1t In which region,; lhe release of water from <lams du ring
Sanlar Sarovar Dam ht!a~- rai1L., aggravatP<I the food sit11at.io11 in 2006 ?
2. Write the major ROUIT.C or frcshwnt.cr in India"! Ans : [CBSE2015]

Ans: ICBSE2010] ,\ laliarashtrnand Gujnrni..,;

Groundwater. 15. Which wnter is r<,,clmrgt.-d by roof-top rainwater
harvesting t eclmiquc"!
3. How mu ch percent of the tot11l \·olnme of world's
wa ter is cstim,rtccl to c:d11t nM fresh water? Ans : (CBSE2014)

Ans : [CBSE2011] Cruund water.

25 percent.
4.. What pcrccnt ngc of the total volume of wor ld 's water
is l'Sti11mtt1t to exis t us OCClli llS?

Ans : [CBSE2012)
96.5 pcrccm .
5. What arcthc cn11SC11ofwat c r scarcity?
Ans : ICBSE 2013]
Rapid growth of population. uneven distriblllion of
water resources and incrca.-.e in demand of water
I. Which largest artifidal Juke w11,1; built in 11 th century?
Ans : [CBSE20U] 18. ln which region. pooplc huilt. 'G11ls ' or ' Kuh; ' for
BhopRI lake. irrigation?
Aus : [CBSE2012)
1. On which river has the t-lirakud Dam been constrncted"!
Western llimalayas
Ans : [CBSE2014)
Ri ver Mnlurntl(li. n. 1-.fontion one state where cnnnl irrigat io n has <len~lopcd.
l On which ri\'n Bhakhra Nangal Dnm ha.., been Ans : [COSE 201S)
oonstructc<l't Nngnlttml.
Ans : [CBSE 2014, 20151 1l In which state Bamboo Drip lrriglllion i.'> prevalent'!
River Satluj. Ans : ICBSE2014)
l Who proclaimed dams as th e temples of modern ln<li:t"! r.lcgha!nyn.
A.llll : [CBSE 2014) 19. On which river is the Nugaijunsagar dam built"!
Ja1\"a]mrlul Nehru. Ans : [All lnd.lll 2010)
11. \\' hich river is know n H.<; t he ' River of Sorrow'? The Nu.garju nsagur Dam is built 011 the Kris hna.
Allll ; [CBSE2015) 21. ,vhut isthetrnditionalsys tc111ofrniuwatcrlmrrnst iug't
Darno<larri\"cr. Ans : [Foreign2010J

n. Name two socit1l movement s which were against the The traditional S)1>tem of rai nwater liarvc,;ting is to
multipn rpo,,e projects. build 1mdcrgrou11<l tnuks or tankas fur storiug drinking
wi1tcr. This system is nrnin ly practised in the arirl and
Ans : ICBSE201s1
scmi-nrid regions of Ilajll.Ntlmn .
Nnr1111uJn Bnchao Andolm1 1111d Tehri Dam Audolan.
2t Name the rin:r un wl.iich Snrdar Sarovar dam is
12. The Nag11rjuna Sagar Dam is !milt on which river?
built.
Ans : ICBSE 2015)
Ans : [Delhi201l]
 Sardar Sarovar darn is built on the Narm~la Discuss how rainwater harvesting in semiarid regions
tt Name the river on wh ich Nagarjunn.sagar dam is of futjastlnm is carrit..><l out. [NCE RT]
constructed. Ans :
Aus : [Detbl200t] n. In scmi•11rid 1lnd 11rid regiou.s of Jfojnsthnn 11huoot
The Nagarjn nsa.gar Dam is built 0 11 the Krishna. 11,l] the ho11ses trnditiou11,Jly h11.d underground
tnnk,; for stori ng drinking water.
73. Kmm~ the rin:r on which ~lettur darn hai; OC~ n built.
h. They nre extremely relin hle so11n:e of drinking
A11s : (Oclbl2009) wntcr 11·hcn at.her sources nrc dried up. Thi~ is
~lctt ur dam hlL'i l)(.'ell huih on t he Ka\'Cri. t·tmsidered tl1e pur<.o:,;t form of 1111t11rnl water.
2:l \\'hnt was the l1Htin purpooo of l11u11ching multi- c. The 11111ks cn n he ns lnrgc as big rooms
1mr)x)!;C projcx:ts in India a fter i11depe11dem.~? d. The tnnki; were pi,rt of the well- dcvclop<..'1:1 rooftop
rainwflt.f!rharve,stingsys1cm.
Ans: (AUIDdla2010]
The tuuks were built inside the umiu house or the
The main purpo,;c of l11.und1i11g nmlti--, purp06C court.yard giving cooling effect to the rooms int.he
projt..-cts ,1ftcr independence w11..,; 11111.t they would smnmcr
intC'grnt.c development of agriculture wit h rapid f. Thosti t1111ks \\'ere l-Ol1 lleCtl~l to tile slo11ing roofs
in<lustrinlizntiou. of the hoUJ;(.' !l throug h a pipe.
2:5. N,rn1e t.wo toclmir111cs of rooftop r11.i 11w11,tcr \mrvcstiug. g. R11in folling on these rooftops would trnvcl down
A ns : jAIIIDdla2011] the pipe nnd stored in these underground tnnks.
11. Co ustruction of tnnks sons to store the rn iu wnter h. Us11111ly first: ruin w11ter is not colk>ctt..'U to cle1u1
h. Col lection ofex~•ss r11.i11w11t.er in the dugwell the rooftop ancl th e pipe. (Any three)

2:1. \\'hat is the need ofrn.inwnt.cr 111,n-csting '! 38. Why did J11wah11rl11l Nehru prod11 im d11111,; a.s the
·temples of modem lmlia'? Expl11in ,my lhrce rc11.wrn;.
Aus : [Dclhl20II I
Arn; : [CDSE201 4]
Rniuwater hnr,·csting b m_'(,'Ut•d to provide it for
ngriculturc, collect drinking wflt.er. irrigate the fields Jnwnlmrlnl Nehru proclaimed theda111s ns the "temples
and to moisten the:;oil. of rn odcm lucli n"' bccnusc
a. They dimiW1tc or reduce Oooding.
b. Pro\·idc 11·11ter for 11griculturc.
THREE MARKS QU ESTIONS c. Pro\·ide water for lmnmn and ind ust.rin/ 1 1

5':. ~lention an}' four main object i\1.'!i of mu lti -purpose

river valley projects. Nnme nny two l\fultipurpo,;c
<.xmsumptiou.
d. Provide hydroelectricity for houses 11.nd incl11.~trii~
31 How hm"C intensive industrinlization aud urbauizatio ~
Projects of India. (CBSE 20H,) posed u gre11l pressure on existing freshwater rcsourt-c

~
ltrrrr,,.
o, in India. Explain. [C OSE 2014]
What is a multipurpo:,c river valley project? ~leut ion
any four object ives of it. [CBSE 2016-17] How does urbanization and urban lifestyle lead to over
Ans : ex ploitation of water resource;? Expl11i11. [CBSE 2013]
A project where many uses of t he impounded water arc
How have intem,ive iudu.strialization and urbanization
iutegrutt'U with one nnother is kuown w; mu ltipurpo:,c
J>OIIC(\ a great. pre;.~ure on existing freshwater resources
project. It is huilt for irrig11tion, power generation,
in India'! Expl11.i11. [CBSE 2012]
wuler supply, flood colllroL r<.>cre11tio11, etc.
A us :
2:1. \\'11ter sc:11,rcity in most ca.,;ei, is c11.uscd hy over
Plll!t indcpeu1lcnt Jndiu willWSS<..'1:I intensive
exploit atio n. cxcc,;;;ivc use nnd unequa l access to water
imlustri<1lisation and 11rha11isatio11.
11mon,11;. different soci11I grou1,c;. Explain the mc,ming
of the statement with the help of examples a Arrival of l\lNC's: Apart from fresh water they
require electricity which comes from hydroclt>ctric
Ans: ICBSE2015]
power.
\Ve can unden;tand the meaning of the above statement b. 1-Iultiplyiug urban rent ers with l11rgc uud dense
through thl.'8eexarnples: popula1io11s and urban life styles ha\'c not only
u. After a ILcuvy downpour. 11 boy collects drinking ad1kd to water nm l energy R'<jUircmcnL,;, but have
water in Kolkatn. further aggrnvated the problem.
h. A K11.~luuiri c11rlhq11nkc Mllrvh·or carrk,i; water iu c. L11rgt~.sc11lc migrution frolll rurul to urbnu urciis is
t.he:-uow in I\ deviu;tatcd' vil111.gc. causing over exploi1ation of water rcsonrces.
c. A Ruj~tlmui 1vo1111111 l.mlu1u..'i.-:,; lier umtkn nu<l (CBSE Marking Scheme, ?DIS).
travclslargcdistanccstocollectwntcr.
32. Describe any three lr™litio1111l method;; of rainwater
21.. Explnin the working of underground tnnks as a part han·csting adopted iu different parts of India
of roof top rainwater haITto:,; ting s~~tew praetist.><l iu [CBSE?Ol4,2015, 2016-17j
Rajasthan. [CBSE 2015, 2014, 2012, ?010] o,
o, Describe any three diffcreut rainw/11.cr han·csting
How were the nndcrgronmi tanks beneficial to the ~yslem.,; pn1ctiscd in lncliu. [CBSE 2012]
in:oplc of Ruj~tlmu'! Explain. [CBSE 2012, 2016-171
'"
"Rainwater han·~tiug system is viable altcmnt ive
 both socially, economically and Cll\'iro111nc111ally"
Support the statement with three examples.
Aus: ICBSE2012)
a. In hilly and mountainous regions, people build
di \"ersion channels like 'gnl' or 'kn l" in Western
Himalaya for agriculture.
b. Roof-top rainwater har\"csting was commonly
practiood to store drink ing water part icularly in
Rajasthan.
c. In West 13engal, people develop inundation
chrumc\s lo irrigate their fields .
d. In semi-arid regions agricnlrnral fields arc
converted into rainfed storage structures that
allowed th e water to stand and moi-;t the soil
13. List any three advantages aud three d isad vantages of
multipurµo,;c riwr project. [CDSE 201 3, 2012]
\\'!mt arc the advantages and d isadvantages of
multipurpose ri\"er 11rojet:t .
Ans : ICBSE2014]
Advantages:
11. These urc the main so urce of µ,ower geueratiou.
h. They provide us neat, pollution free and cheapest
cucrgy wl1ich fa; the bucklxmc of industry uu<l
agriculture.
c. These proj<."Cts control the noocl:s because water
can he stored in th em. Th ese projects hal'e
converted nmny. •rivers of sorrows· into 'rivers of
hoou'.
d. T hese projects arc the main 5011fC1l of irrigation
a ml al,;o help in <.'011;;erving soil .
Disadvantages:
Due to the cor~~t ruction of dnn~~- t here n.re uo
adeqnat e n,MK[s in the river. B,!Cause of 1!1i.~.
the soil of the Jow11stren.m r<.-gio11 doc;; uot get
nutrient ri ch silt.
b. Dams also fragmc l\t ri vers making it di fficult for
lllJUatic fauna to migmte for spaw11i11g, i.e., lo
- ngriculture.
produce eggs.
c. It resul ted in <lisp\acerneut of loc1.1J t:o nmnmit ici;.
The local people often have fO gi ve up th eir hrnd
and linilihood and their meagre access an<l control
over resou rces for the greater need of the nation.
M. What is Bamboo Drip Irrigation"! ~lent.ion a ny two
fcutun'tl of il. [CBSE 2012)
Ans :
8 ,uul,oo Drip lrrig1.1tiou system is u 2()1)..year-old
systmn of la pping stream and spring waler by m>ing
bnmboo pil>C find trarnsporting "'filer fro m higher to
lower regions th rough grnvity.
Feature&:
a. 18--20 liters of wu tcr enters tile l,urnboo pipe
syAtcm, get tranAported over lrnndrccis of mcl.crs
nud finally rcdut-cs to 20--80 dro1,s per mhmte nt
the site of the plant.
l,. The now of water into tlic p ip<.'tl is t"Olllrolk-J IJy
manipulating t he pipe positions.
J5. Highlight any three hydraulic strnetnrcs a.~ p.-1r1 of
wuter 1mumgement programmes initiat<.,'li i11 ancient
India aloug with the period when they were built.
Ans: (CDSEZOll,2011]
Sophisticated hydraulic structures like <lams built of
stone nibble. reservoin; or lake,, e111bankme11t s and
canals for irrigation were built in various regions' of
the country.
a ,\ sophisticated wa ter han-c,,ting system
channelling the flood water of rl\·er Ganga was
built at Sringaverapma near Allahabad in the
15th century BC.
b. i\agarjunakonda in And hra Pradesh. Dcnnur in
Karnatnka, Kolhnpur in .\Iaharas htra and Knlingn
in Odisha lnwe evidence; of irrigation structures.
c. In th e !I t h century, Bhopal Lake. one of the
largc:n artificial lakes of its time was built.
cf. T he tank in Hauz Khru;, Delhi was constrn ctcci hy
lltutmish iu the 14th ccutury to supply water to
the Siri F"ort Area.
,on'
36. \Vhy is groundwater a ILighly o\·erus<.'11 resmucc?
A~ ,
Groundwater is a highly overused resonrce [CBSE
heca. \\Re of
t he following reasons:
a. One to large and growing µ,opu lauon an
consequent greater demands for water am
unequal ~ to it.
b. To facilitate higher food grain production for
\urge popul11tio11, water rcsourC\.'S arc being over
cxploih:d to expand irrigated areas aud dry season
c. In the ho11..~ing societies or colonies in the cities,
there is 1.111 nrrnugcrn cut of own ground water
pumping devices to meet water needs.
FIVE MARKS QUESTIONS
31. \Vhy is roof-top waler lu1n-cst ing impo rtant in
Raja.stlmn? Ex plain. [CBSE 20 14]
Ans:
Roof top water harvesting is im1>0rtunt in Raj1~~tl11111
because:
a. It was commonly pructist--<l to store drinking
water.
h. T he rainwater can be stored in t he touks till the
uext rai nfall, mak ing it an extremely rclixhlc
source of drinking water whcu all other so urccis
arc drkd np, part.icnlarly in the summers.
c. Rai n water. or palar pani. as commonly referred
lo in t hese purls, is <.'011;;i<lcr<.'li the purest form of
natural water
d. 1-. hmy hom;<.'tl conslruct underground TOolll.'j
adjoining the 'tanka " to heat the summer heat as
it would kt-c p the room cool.
 e. Some houses still mllintain the tanks since they do I. In ancient. India a lso along with the sophist.icat.ed
uot like the taste of tap water. hydrnu licstruclu rcs, there existed nn cxtrnordina.ry
31. Explaiu uny tlm.-c reasons responsible for wutcr traditiou of various wat er hn rvcsti ng systems.
scarcity in India. [C BSE 2013,2011 ] 2. People adopted different. toclmiqucs ln diffcrenl
11re1L'i. In hilly regions p<.'Ople built d iversion
°'
Water is available in abundance in India. Even tlw11 channel ~ like the ·guls' or "kul s" for agricult ure.
scarcity of water is cxµcric nc,.,•d in major pnrts of t he 3. Roof-top rn iu wntcr lmrvesting was couunonly
count ry. Explaiu it. with four exam pk.-,. prnct.iscd to store drinki ng water. particularly in
Jlujasthan
Ans:
4. 111 the flood plains of Bengal, people developed
The availability of water n.'l!Ourct:s vnrics over inundation channels to irrigate their fields.
space and time. mainly dne to the \"ariations i11 Kha<lins, Johads and Taub arc the forms o f
sc=nal uml ,uurnul pn:dpit ution. rainwater harvesting practised in Haja..~t h1m.
h. Over-exploi tation. excessive lt..C and unequal
ncccss to wntcr nmou g diffcn:nt social groups.
Water scarcity 11111y be 1\11 out(..·ome of large and
growing J>Op u!a1io11 nm\ consequent greater
dct11 u11d!> for wuter. A large population mcuns l!lorc
water to produce more food. llcnce, to facilitate
higher food-grain prod11ctio11, water r=urccs arc
being o\·er ex ploited to ex pand irrigated areas for

. ..
dry-season ngriculturc.
d. ~lo;,t farmers lm\'e their own welki and tubewell ~
in their farms for irrigation t o increase their
production. But it may lead to falling groumlwulcr
lc\·cls, adwrscly a ffecting water availability And
food security of the J)C()ple. Thus, im;pitc of

__
11hundnn t, wuter there is Y.'llter scarcity.
39. DC!!<:rihe IHI)" four tradit ional methods of rai nwat er

, ,
J,,.m,ti,.g ••lop«~ ;,. differeo, po,,s of J,.d;,.,

Met.hods of rainwater han·est ing m;i)(I in India ure:

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Guls iu ul Kuls: People built gu ls und kuls in hilly
und mo1111tui11ous regions lO divert w11 tcr. Tlicsc
nre simple channels. They arc mai nl y used in th e
W<.-:.tcruHiumlayas.
h. Hoof top ruinwater han~ting: Commonly
prnctised to store dri nking 11·ater iu Rajn;;than.
c. Jm mdntiou Channels: These channel~ dc~·eloped
in the flood p lai m; of llengnl to irrigate fields.
d. Khadins aud Johu<k 111 11ricl al)(I semi-arid
regions. some agricultural lidc\s were converted
into rain fo<l storage ,;truct url'l!. These structure~
1He fo11nd in Raja..st han.
'foukas: The tnnkas were built ins ide the nm.iu
house or the courty11.rd. They were {..'OilIWCted t-0
t he sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe.
Raiu falling ou t lie rooftops would travel down
the pipe and wa..s s1orc<I in t hese nn<lergronnd
' tunlrns'. The firsl spell of min was usually uot
collected as this would cle11.n t he roofs aml th e
pipes. The rainwater from the subsequent showers
wiu; then oolkct.<.'<L The rainwater can hu stor<.'<I
in the tanka..~.
U. \V hy arc different w1itcr hnr\'est ing systems considered.
11 viable a lternative ho th socio-economically au<l
environmentally in a country like India'! jC BS E 2010]
Ans :
Keeping in view th e di:;.'\O,,antages and risi ng resistance
ag11iiu;t t he multb purpose proj<.>cts, wuter lmrvcstiug
system is considerod a viable alternati ve both socio-
economically aml e11vironmentally.