Q. No. 3) Explain how water becomes a renewable resource.

Ans. Freshwater is mainly obtained from surface runoff and groundwater that is
continually being renewed and rechanged through the hydrological cycle. All water
moves within the hydrological cycle ensuring that water is a renewable resource.

Hydrological cycle:

 Evaporation & Transpiration – Water from surfaces and plants (transpiration)

turns into vapour.
 Condensation – Vapour cools and forms clouds.
 Precipitation – Water falls as rain, snow, or hail.
 Collection & Runoff – Water gathers in bodies and flows back to oceans.

Q. No. 4) Why does the availability of water resources vary over space and
time?

Ans. The availability of water resources varies over space and time, mainly due to the
variations in seasonal and annual precipitation.

Q. No. 5) Which state has a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and

spring water by using bamboo pipes?

Ans. Meghalaya.

Q. No. 6) Describe the Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal), including the states and
regions it covers, its objectives, the percentage of water-stressed blocks it
targets, and the key behavioural changes it aims to promote in
communities.

Ans. Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal)

Implementation:

 Covers 8,220 water-stressed Gram Panchayats of 229 administrative

blocks/talukas in 80 districts of 7 states.

 Implemented in seven states: Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,

Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

Coverage:

 The selected states represent 37% of India's total water-stressed blocks (over-
exploited, critical, and semi-critical).

Key Focus:

 Promotes smart water management practices.

 Aims to shift community behaviour from water consumption to conservation.

Q. No. 7) Multipurpose projects and large dams have come under great
scrutiny and opposition. Explain with reason.
Ans. Multipurpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny and
opposition because:

 Regulating and damming rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment
flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in
rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.

 Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate,
especially for spawning.

 The dams have triggered floods due to sedimentation in the reservoir and the
release of excess water during heavy rains.

 Multipurpose projects induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases, and

pests, and lead to pollution resulting from excessive use of water.

 Dam irrigation has also changed the cropping pattern of many regions with
farmers shifting to water intensive and commercial crops. This has great
ecological consequences like salinisation of the soil.

Q. No. 8) How is agriculture responsible for creating stress on water

resources? Suggest any one solution for it.

Ans. Agriculture is responsible for creating stress on water resources in the following
ways:

 To facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources are being over-

exploited to expand irrigated areas for dry-season agriculture.

 Irrigated agriculture is the largest consumer of water.

 Most farmers have their own wells and tube wells on their farms for irrigation to
increase their productivity. This led to falling groundwater levels, adversely
affecting water availability and food security of the people.

Q. No. 9) What are the diversion channels of the Western Himalayas called?

Ans. Guls or Kuls.

Q. No. 10) Case-Based Question:

Maharashtra is a state located in western India, with a population of over

110 million people. The state is home to several large cities, including
Mumbai, and has a significant agricultural sector. However, the state is
facing a severe water crisis, with its water resources coming under
increasing pressure due to climate change, industrialization, and
urbanization. The main challenges faced by water resource management in
Maharashtra are:
I. Overexploitation of groundwater: Maharashtra is one of the most
groundwater-stressed states in India, with the demand for water exceeding
the supply. Overexploitation of groundwater for agriculture and urban use
has led to a decline in water levels, which has severe implications for the
sustainability of water
resources.
II. Pollution of surface water: Industrialization and urbanization have led to
the pollution of surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes. The pollution
has led to water quality degradation, which poses risks to human health and
the environment.
III. Inefficient irrigation practices: The agricultural sector is the largest user
of water in Maharashtra, accounting for around 80% of total water use.
However, traditional irrigation practices such as flood irrigation are
inefficient and lead to the wastage of water.

i. Mention any two reasons for the water crisis faced by the state of
Maharashtra.

Ans. Two reasons for Maharashtra facing a water crisis are over-exploitation of
groundwater and pollution of surface water bodies due to industrialization and
urbanization.

ii. Despite being the second-highest rainfall-receiving state of the country,

Maharashtra still faces a water crisis. Substantiate this statement in 40
words.

Ans. Despite receiving the second-highest rainfall in the country, traditional irrigation
practices like flood irrigation lead to water shortages in Maharashtra. This is because
flood irrigation involves excessive water use, and the water gets lost due to runoff,
leading to less water available for other uses.

iii. Propose any one solution to mitigate the water crisis faced by
Maharashtra state.

Ans:

 To mitigate the water crisis in Maharashtra, one solution could be to promote

the adoption of more efficient irrigation practices, such as drip irrigation and
sprinkler systems, that use less water and are more targeted in their delivery.

 The state can also use a rainwater harvesting system to improve groundwater
levels along the western side of the Western Ghats which receive maximum
rainfall. This will increase the efficiency of water use in the state of Maharashtra.

Q. No. 11) Intensive industrialization and urbanization exerted pressure on

existing freshwater resources. Justify the statement with suitable examples.

Ans. Intensive industrialization and urbanization have exerted pressure on existing

freshwater resources:

 Post-independent India witnessed intensive industrialization and urbanization.

 The ever-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% of the total
electricity produced.

 Multiplying urban centers with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles
has not only added to water and energy requirements but has further
aggravated the problem.

 Most of the housing societies or colonies in the cities have their own
groundwater pumping devices, which result in the over-exploitation of fragile
water resources.

Q. No. 12) On which river Bhakra-Nangal Dam has been constructed?

Ans. Sutluj.

Q. No. 13) The Hirakud project in the ________ basin integrated the
conservation of water with flood control.

Ans. Mahanadi.

Q. No. 14) How are multipurpose projects and large dams the cause of social
movements?

Ans. Multipurpose projects and large dams are the cause of social movements like the
‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’ because:

 Resistance to these projects has primarily been due to the large-scale

displacement of local communities.

 Local people often had to give up their land, livelihood, and their meagre access
and control over resources for the greater good of the nation.

 But these local people are not benefited much from these projects. The
benefited ones are the landowners and large farmers, industrialists, and a few
urban centers.

Also See: Level Up Your Skills: Class 10 Maths Practice Paper 2023-24

Q. No. 15) Who proclaimed dams as the temples of modern India? Why?

Ans. Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed the dams as the ‘Temples of modern India’ because

 They integrate the development of agriculture and the village economy with
rapid industrialization and growth of the urban economy.

 They provide water for irrigation.

 They provide water for electricity generation

 Provide water supply for domestic and industrial uses.

 Helps in flood control.

 Provide recreation
  Helps in inland navigation.

 Useful for fish breeding.

Q. No. 16) What is the need for rainwater harvesting?

Ans. The need for rainwater harvesting is:

 Rainwater harvesting is needed to provide it for agriculture, collect drinking

water, irrigate the fields, and to moisten the soil.

 Rainwater harvesting is a viable alternative, both socio-economically and

environmentally to multipurpose projects.

Q. No. 17) What is a multipurpose river valley project? Mention any four
objectives of it.

Ans. A project where many uses of the impounded water are integrated with one
another is known as a multipurpose project. It is built for –

 Irrigation

 Electricity generation

 Water supply for domestic and industrial uses

 Flood control

 Recreation

 Inland navigation

 Fish breeding.

Q. No. 18) What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?

Ans. Water scarcity is the lack of freshwater resources to meet the demands of water
usage within a region.

Main causes of water scarcity:

 Water scarcity in most cases is caused by over-exploitation, excessive use, and

unequal access to water among different social groups.

 Water scarcity may be an outcome of a large and growing population and

consequent greater demands for water and unequal access to it.

 To facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources are being over-

exploited to expand irrigated areas for dry-season agriculture.

 Intensive industrialization and urbanization exerted pressure on existing

freshwater resources.

 Even if water is sufficiently available to meet the needs of the people, much of it
is maybe polluted by domestic and industrial wastes, chemicals, pesticides, and
fertilizers used in agriculture, thus causing water scarcity.

Q. No. 19) What are the broad objectives of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchaee
Yojana (PMKSY)?
Ans. Objectives of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchaee Yojana (PMKSY):

 Increase Irrigated Area: Make sure every field gets water. ("Har Khet Ko
Pani")

 Boost Efficiency: Improve water quality use to avoid wastage.

 Promote Technologies: Use methods like drip irrigation ("Per Drop More
Crop").

 Conservation Practices: Adopt sustainable water-saving practices.

Q. No. 20) Explain the working of underground tanks as a part of the rooftop
rainwater harvesting system practiced in Rajasthan.

Or,

What do you understand by Palar Pani? How Palar Pani is collected?

Ans. Rainwater is commonly referred to as Palar Pani and is considered the purest
form of water in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan.

 In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi,

and Barmer, almost all the houses traditionally had underground tanks for
storing drinking water.

 The tanks could be as large as a big room.

 The tanks were part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system.

 They were connected to the sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe.

 Rain falling on the rooftops would travel down the pipe and be stored in these
underground tanks.

 The first spell of rain was usually not collected as this would clean the roofs and
the pipes.

 The rainwater from the subsequent showers was then collected.

Q. No. 21) Analyse the importance of rooftop rainwater harvesting in

Rajasthan.

Ans. Importance of rooftop rainwater harvesting in Rajasthan:

 It was commonly practiced to store and conserve drinking water.

 The rainwater can be stored in the tanks 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 (Palar Pani) is considered the purest form of natural water.

 Many houses construct underground rooms adjoining the ‘tanks’ to beat the
summer heat as it would keep the room cool.

 Some houses still maintain the tanks since they do not like the taste of tap
water.
Q. No. 22) Describe any five traditional methods of rainwater harvesting
adopted in different parts of India.

Ans. Traditional methods of rainwater harvesting:

 In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the ‘guls’ or
‘kuls’ of the Western Himalayas for agriculture.

 ‘Rooftop rainwater harvesting’ was commonly practiced to store drinking water,

particularly in Rajasthan.

 In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate

their fields.

 In semi-arid and 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.

 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.

Q. No. 23) Compare the advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose

river valley projects.

Ans. Advantages:

 They provide water for irrigation.

 They provide water for electricity generation`

 Provide water supply for domestic and industrial uses.

 Helps in flood control.

 Provide recreation

 Helps in inland navigation.

 Useful for fish breeding.

Disadvantages:

 Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing poor
sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir,
resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.

 Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate,
especially for spawning.

 The dams have triggered floods due to sedimentation in the reservoir and the
release of excess water during heavy rains.

 Multipurpose projects induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases, and

pests, and lead to pollution resulting from excessive use of water.
  Irrigation has changed the cropping pattern of many regions with farmers
shifting to water-intensive and commercial crops. This has great ecological
consequences like salinization of the soil.

 The dams increase the social gap between the richer landowners and the
landless poor.

 The dams create inter-state water disputes with regard to sharing the costs and
benefits of the multi-purpose project.

Q. No. 24) What is Bamboo Drip Irrigation? Mention any two features of it.

Ans.

 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.
 Bamboo pipes are used to divert water from perennial springs on the hilltops to
the lower reaches by gravity.
 The channel sections, made of bamboo, divert water to the plant site where it is
distributed into branches, again made and laid out with different forms of
bamboo pipes. The flow of water into the pipes is controlled by manipulating
the pipe positions.
 If the pipes pass a road, they are taken high above the land.
 Reduced channel sections and diversion units are used at the last stage of
water application. The last channel section enables water to be dropped near
the roots of the plant.