WATER RESOURCES

SIMPLIFIED NOTES

1. Three-fourth of the earth’s surface is covered with water.

2. Water scarcity in most cases is caused by ----------------------------------

Q. Why is it predicted that by 2025, nearly two billion people will live in
absolute water scarcity?

1. Over-exploitation, 2.excessive use and3. unequal access to water among

different social groups.

Q.Freshwater can be obtained directly from precipitation, surface run off

and groundwater.

3. Irrigated agriculture is the largest consumer of water.

4. Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) is being implemented in 8220 water stressed
Gram Panchayats of 229 administrative blocks/ talukas in 80 districts of
seven states, viz. Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Atal Bhujal Yojana or Atal Groundwater Scheme is a groundwater

management scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the
95th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on 25
December 2019. The purpose of the scheme is to improve groundwater
management in seven states of India.[1]

The selected States account for about 37 per cent of the stressed over-
exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks in India. One of the key aspects of
Atal Jal is to bring in behavioural changes in the community, from the
prevailing attitude of consumption to conservation and smart water
management.

Reasons for water scarcity:

Intensive industrialisation and urbanisation, multiplying urban centres with

large and dense populations and urban lifestyles have not only added to
water and energy requirements but have further aggravated the problem.

Over exploitation and mismanagement of water resources will impoverish

this resource and cause ecological crisis that may have profound impact on
our lives.

Hydraulic Structures in Ancient India

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• In the first century B.C., 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.

• Evidences 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 Siri Fort area.

What are dams and how do they help us in conserving and

managing water?

A dam is a barrier across flowing water

that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a

reservoir.

USES:

1. Electricity generation

2. Water supply for domestic and industrial uses

3. Flood control

4. Recreation

5. Inland navigation

6. Fish breeding.

EX: Bhakra – Nangal project water is being used both for hydel power
production and irrigation.

the Hirakud project in the Mahanadi basin integrates conservation of

water with flood control

Multi-purpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny and
opposition .Why??

Damming of rivers affect their natural flow

Causing poor sediment flow

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Excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir

Resulting in rockier stream beds

Poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life

Induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases and pests and pollution

resulting from excessive use of water.

PROJECTS

1. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchaee Yojana has been started which

ensures access to some means to protective irrigation for all agricultural
farms in the country, thus bringing much desired rural prosperity.

2. JAL JEEVAN MISSION

The Goal of JJM is to enable every rural household get assured supply of
potable piped water at a service level of 55 litres per capita per day
regularly on long-term basis by ensuring functionality of the tap water
connections.

Sardar Sarovar Dam -has been built over the Narmada River in Gujarat.
This is one of the largest water resource projects of India covering four
states—Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan. The Sardar
Sarovar project would meet the requirement of water in drought-prone and
desert areas.

Sardar Sarovar Project will provide irrigation facilities to the strategic

desert districts of Barmer and Jalore in Rajasthan and in the tribal hilly
tract of Maharashtra through lift.

About 75 per cent of the command area in Gujarat is drought prone while
entire command in Rajasthan is drought prone. Assured water supply will
soon make this area drought proof.(Resistant to drought)

What is command Area? The command area is the area around the dam/
project, where the area gets benefits from the dam, such as irrigation water,
electricity, etc. It is an area which can be irrigated from a scheme and is fit
for cultivation.

Describe how modern adaptations of traditional rainwater

harvesting methods are being carried out to conserve and store
water.

1. In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels

2. The ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ of the Western Himalayas for agriculture.

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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gnehcilgxLY?feature=share

3. ‘Rooftop rainwater harvesting’ was commonly practised to store

drinking water, particularly in Rajasthan.
4.In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation
channels.
An inundation canal is a man-made waterway designed to control
the flow of water and prevent flooding during heavy rainfall or high
tides. It is essentially a channel constructed to carry excess water
from rivers or other water bodies to a designated location where it
can be stored, treated, or released back into the environment in a
controlled manner. Inundation canals serve multiple purposes,
including irrigation, hydropower generation, and recreational
activities. They play a crucial role in water management systems,
helping to mitigate the impact of natural calamities such as floods
and ensuring the availability of water for various uses.

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5. 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 like the ‘khadins’ in Jaisalmer and ‘Johads’ in other
parts of Rajasthan.

6. In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in

Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer, almost all the houses traditionally had
underground tanks or tankas for storing drinking water.
7. The tankas were part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater
harvesting
8. The rainwater can be stored in the tankas till the next rainfall
making it an extremely reliable
source of drinking water when all
other sources are dried up,
particularly in the summers.
Rainwater, or palar pani, as
commonly referred to in these
parts, is considered the purest
form of natural water.

9. Rooftop rainwater harvesting is the most common practice in

Shillong, Meghalaya.

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10. In Gendathur, a remote backward village in Mysuru, Karnataka,
villagers have installed, in their household’s rooftop, 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.

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

12. BAMBOO DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM In Meghalaya, a 200-year-

old system of tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo
pipes, is prevalent.

Today, in western Rajasthan, sadly the practice of rooftop rainwater

harvesting is on the decline as plenty of water is available due to
the perennial Indira Gandhi Canal.

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