UDAAN 2024

WATER RESOURCES
REVISION NOTES
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Water

Three-fourths of the earth’s surface is covered with water, but only a small proportion of it
accounts for freshwater that can be put to use. Water is a renewable resource.

Some Facts About Water

● 96.5 per cent of the total volume of world’s water is estimated to exist as oceans and
only 2.5 per cent as freshwater.
● Nearly 70 per cent of this freshwater occurs as ice sheets and glaciers in Antarctica,
Greenland and the mountainous regions of the world, while a little less than 30 per cent
is stored as groundwater
● India receives nearly 4 per cent of the global precipitation and ranks 133 in the world in
terms of water availability per person per annum.
● The total renewable water resources of India are estimated at 1,897 sq km per annum.
● By 2025, it is predicted that large parts of India will join countries facing water scarcity

Water Scarcity and the Need for Water Conservation and Management

The availability of water resources varies over space and time.

● Water scarcity can be caused due to lack of quality of water or quantity of water
● Water scarcity is caused by over-exploitation, excessive use and unequal access to
water among different social groups.
● Water resources are being over-exploited to expand irrigated areas for dry-season
agriculture.
● The increasing 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.
 ● Today, in India hydroelectric power contributes approximately 22 percent of the total
electricity produced.
● In some areas, water is sufficiently available to meet the needs of the people. But, those
areas still suffer from water scarcity due to bad quality of water.

Water Stress

● According to Falkenmark, a Swedish expert, water stress occurs when water availability
is between 1,000 and 1,600 cubic metre per person per year.

The need of the hour is to conserve and manage our water resources.

● Safeguard ourselves from health hazards.

● Ensure food security, continuation of our livelihoods and productive activities.
● Prevent the degradation of our natural ecosystems.

Multi-Purpose River Projects and Integrated Water Resources Management

Hydraulic Structures in Ancient India

● In the first century BC 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 were
extensively built.
● Evidence of sophisticated irrigation works have also been found in Kalinga, (Odisha),
Nagarjunakonda (Andhra Pradesh), Bennur (Karnataka), 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 the Siri Fort area.

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.

Uses of Dams
Dams are built,

● To impound rivers and rainwater that can be used later to irrigate agricultural fields.
● For electricity generation.
● Water supply for domestic and industrial uses.
● Flood control.
● Recreation, inland navigation and fish breeding.

Side Effects of Creating Dams

● Regulating and damming rivers affect their natural flow.

● Poorer the habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.
● Fragmented rivers make it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate.
● Dams created on the floodplains submerge the existing vegetation and soil, leading to its
decomposition over a period of time.
● The Creation of large dams has been the cause of many new environmental movements
like the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’.
● Many times local people had to give up their land, livelihood and their control over
resources for the construction of the dam

Objections Against Dams or Multi-purpose Projects

● Most of the objections to the projects arose due to their failure to achieve the purposes
for which they were built.
● Most of the dams were constructed to control floods, but these dams have triggered
floods.
● Dams have also caused extensive soil erosion. Excessive use of water has resulted in
earthquakes, water-borne diseases, pests and pollution.

Rain Water Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is a simple method by which rainfall is collected for future usage. The
collected rainwater may be stored, utilised in different ways or directly used for recharge
purposes.
Different methods have been adopted in different areas for Rain Water Harvesting.

1. In hill and mountainous regions, people have built diversion channels like the ‘guls’ or
‘kuls’ of the Western Himalayas for agriculture.
2. Rooftop rainwater harvesting is commonly practised to store drinking water,
particularly in Rajasthan.
3. In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate their
fields.
4. In arid and semi-arid regions, agricultural fields were converted into rain-fed storage
structures that allowed the water to stand and moisten the soil such as ‘khadins’ in
Jaisalmer and ‘Johads’ in other parts of Rajasthan.
5. The tankas are part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system and are
built inside the main house or the courtyard.
6. This is mainly practised in Rajasthan, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer areas
for saving rainwater.
7. Many houses have constructed underground rooms adjoining the ‘tanka’ to beat the
summer heat as it would keep the room cool.
8. The first shower of rain is not collected as it is dirty
9. Rainwater is known as Palar Pani in Rajasthan

Tamil Nadu is the first state in India which has made rooftop rainwater harvesting structures
compulsory for all houses across the state. There are legal provisions to punish defaulters.

Extra Gyaan

Narmada Bachao Andolan :

● Narmada Bachao Andolan or Save Narmada Movement is a Non Governmental

Organisation (NGO) that mobilised tribal people, farmers, environmentalists and 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.
Krishna -Godavari Dispute :

● Krishna-Godavari dispute is due to the objections raised by Karnataka and Andhra

Pradesh governments
● It is regarding the diversion of more water at Koyna by the Maharashtra government for
a multipurpose project.
● This would reduce downstream flow in their states with adverse consequences for
agriculture and industry.

Floods Caused By Dams

● Release of water from dams during heavy rains aggravated the flood situation in
Maharashtra and Gujarat in 2006.

Rainwater Harvesting in Meghalaya

● Roof top rainwater harvesting is the most common practice in Shillong, Meghalaya.
● It is interesting because Cherrapunji and Mawsynram situated at a distance of 55 km.
from Shillong receive the highest rainfall in the world, yet the state capital Shillong faces
acute shortage of water.
● Nearly every household in the city has a roof top rain water harvesting structure. Nearly
15-25 per cent of the total water requirement of the household comes from roof top water
harvesting.

Rainwater Harvesting-Gendathur

● In Gendathur, a remote backward village in Mysuru, Karnataka, villagers have installed,

in their household’s rooftop, a rainwater harvesting system to meet their water needs.
● Nearly 200 households have installed this system and the village has earned the rare
distinction of being rich in rainwater

Bamboo Drip Irrigation System

● In Meghalaya, a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and spring water by using

bamboo pipes, is prevalent.
● 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.

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