Geography

Ch.3 Water Resources

Topics in the Chapter

• Water
→ some facts and Figures
• Dams
• Multi-purpose river projects
→ Objectives of multi-purpose river projects
→ Disadvantages of Multi-purpose river projects
→ Movements against Multi-purpose river projects
• Rainwater Harvesting
→ How Tankas works

Water

• Water is a renewable resource

• Three-fourth of the earth’s surface is covered with water but

only a small proportion of it accounts for freshwater fit for use.

Some facts and Figures

• 96.5 percent of the total volume of world’s water is estimated to

exist as oceans and only 2.5 per cent as freshwater.

• India receives nearly 4 percent of the global precipitation and

ranks 133 in the world in terms of water availability per person
per annum.

• By 2025, it is predicted that large parts of India will join

countries or regions having absolute water scarcity.

Water Scarcity and need for water conservation and

management
• The lack sufficient water as compared to its demand in a region
is known as Water Scarcity.

• Causes of Water Scarcity are:

→ over- exploitation
→ Excessive use and unequal access to water among different
social groups.
→ Large population

Dams

• A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or

retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment.

Multi-purpose river projects

• Multi-purpose river projects large dams that serve several

purposes in addition to impounding the water of a river and used
later to irrigate agricultural fields. For example, the Sutlej-Beas
river basin, the Bhakra–Nangal project etc.
Advantages of multi-purpose river projects are:
→ Electricity generation
→ Irrigation
→ Water supply for domestic and industrial uses
→ Flood control
→ Recreation
→ Inland navigation
→ Fish breeding

Disadvantages of Multi-purpose river projects are:

→ It affects the natural flow of river causing poor sediment flow

and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir.
→ It destroys the habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.
→ It submerges the existing vegetation and soil if created on the
floodplains.
→ It displaces the local people of the place where it is created.
→ These are unsuccessful in controlling floods at the time of
excessive rainfall.
→ These projects induced earthquakes, caused water- borne
diseases and pests and pollution resulting from excessive use of
water.

Movements against Mult-purpose river projects

• These projects cause of many new social movements like the
‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’ etc.
→ This is due to the large-scale displacement of local
communities.
• Inter-state water disputes are also becoming common with
regard to sharing the costs and benefits of the multi-purpose
project.

Rainwater Harvesting
• Rainwater Harvesting refers to the practice of storing and using
of rainwater from the surface on which it falls.
• In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels
like the ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ of the Western Himalayas for agriculture.
• In Rajasthan, ‘Rooftop rain water harvesting’ was commonly
practised to store drinking water.
• In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation
channels to irrigate their fields.
• 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.
• In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, almost all the
houses traditionally had underground tanks or tankas for storing
drinking water.
• How Tankas works:
→ Tankas were connected to the sloping roofs of the houses
through a pipe.
→ Rain falling on the rooftops would travel down the pipe and was
stored in these underground ‘tankas’.

Multiple Choice Questions

Previous Years’ Questions

1. Which one of the following is not the cause of water scarcity? [CBSE (CCE) 2011]
(a) Rapid growth of population
(b) Uneven distribution of water resources
(c) Constructions of dams and reserves
(d) Increase in demand

Educational apps
Water purifier systems

2. Which state has made roof top rainwater harvesting structure compulsory to all the
houses across the state? [CBSE (CCE) 2011]
(a) Kerala
(b) Karnataka
(c) Tamil Nadu
(d) Andhra Pradesh

3. On which of the following rivers is Koyna dam built? [CBSE (CCE) 2011]
(a) Krishna
(b) Kaveri
(c) Ganga
(d) Mahanadi

4. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is built on which river? [CBSE (CCE) 2011]

(a) Chenab
(b) Mahanadi
(c) Krishna
(d) Satluj
NCERT Questions
5. Which of the following statements is not an argument in favour of multi-purpose
river projects ?
(a) Multi-purpose projects bring water to those areas which suffer from water
scarcity.
(b) Multi-purpose projects by regulating water flow help to control floods.
(c) Multi-purpose projects lead to large scale displacements and loss of livelihood.
(d) Multi-purpose projects generate electricity for our industries and our homes.

Additional Questions
6. The first multi-purpose project of India was
(a) Sivasamudram
(b) Damodar Valley
(c) Hirakud
(d) Rajasthan Canal

7. Sardar Sarovar Dam is constructed on

(a) River Krishna
(b) River Mahanadi
(c) River Kaveri
(d) River Narmada

8. Rooftop rainwater harvesting system in Rajasthan is known as

(a) Guls
(b) Tankas
(c) Johads
(d) Baolis

9. Bamboo drip irrigation is common in the state of

(a) Rajasthan
(b) Madhya Pradesh
(c) Meghalaya
(d) Karnataka

10. Water is a renewable resource because

(a) it is being recycled by human beings.
(b) it is renewed and recharged through hydrological cycle.
(c) it is being renewed through reduction.
(d) it can be reused again.

11. How much of the earth’s surface is covered by water?

(a) 1/2
(b) 2/3
(c) 1/4
(d) 3/4
12. Oceans contain ………….. volume of water.
(a) 90 percent
(b) 75 percent
(c) 96.5 percent
(d) 98 percent

13. The amount of freshwater on the earth’s surface is

(a) 1.5 percent
(b) 2.5 percent
(c) 3 percent
(d) 5 percent

14. On which river is the Bhakra Nangal Dam located ?

(a) Jhelum
(b) Chambal
(c) Satluj
(d) Chenab

15. Hirakud dam is located in which one of the following states?

(a) Andhra Pradesh
(b) West Bengal
(c) Orissa
(d) Tamil Nadu

16. Mettur Dam is located on

(a) R. Krishna
(b) R. Mahanadi
(c) R. Narmada
(d) R. Kaveri

17. Which one of the following is not a source of freshwater ?

(a) Oceans
(b) Surface run off
(c) Ice-sheets
(d) Groundwater

18. What percentage of the global precipitation is received in India ?

(a) 2 percent
(b) 5 percent
(c) 4 percent
(d) 10 percent

19. Water scarcity occurs due to

(i) low rainfall in a region
(ii) large population
(iii) over-exploitation
(iv) unequal access
(a) (i) and (ii)
(b) (ii) and (iii)
(c) (i) and (iv)
(d) All of the above

20. Water scarcity is a serious problem in recent years mainly in

(a) Cities
(b) Rural areas
(c) Deserts
(d) Mountains

21. In India hydroelectric power contributes to what percentage of the total electricity
produced ?
(a) 30 percent
(b) 22 percent
(c) 20 percent
(d) 40 percent

22. We need to conserve water because

(i) it will be exhausted.
(ii) it is needed for our livelihood and other economic activities.
(iii) it will ensure food security.
(iv) there is abundance of water.
(a) (i) and (ii)
(b) (ii) and (iii)
(c) (i), (ii) and (iii)
(d) (i) and (iv)

23. The diversion channels of the Western Himalayas are called

(a) Canals
(b) Inundation channels
(c) Kuls
(d) Khadins

24. Which of the following rivers is known as the ‘River of Sorrow’ ?

(a) Hugli
(b) Damodar
(c) Narmada
(d) Kosi

25. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is located in the state of

(a) Orissa
(b) Karnataka
(c) Kerala
(d) Andhra Pradesh
26. In which state is the Tehri Dam located ?
(a) Himachal Pradesh
(b) Punjab
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Uttarakhand

27. In semi arid regions of Rajasthan the traditional system of storing drinking water
in underground tanks are called
(a) Dugwells
(b) Johads
(c) Tankas
(d) None of the above

28. Which of the following Indian rivers are the most polluted ?
(a) Ganga and Yamuna
(b) Ganga and Indus
(c) Godavari and Krishna
(d) Kosi and Damodar

29. Which one of the following statements is incorrect as regards to opposition

against multi-purpose projects.
(a) Regulating and damming of rivers affected the natural flow.
(b) It has caused interstate river water disputes.
(c) It has increased the social gap between the rich land owners and the landless
poor.
(d) They are successful in meeting many objectives.

30. Khadins and Johads are the rain fed storage structures of which of the following
states ?
(a) Karnataka
(b) Assam
(c) Rajasthan
(d) Tamil Nadu

31. Which village in Karnataka has earned a rare distinction of being rich in rain
water ?
(a) Tumkur
(b) Hosur
(c) Devana halli
(d) Gendathur
32. On which of the following rivers is the Salal Project located ?
(a) Luni
(b) Satluj
(c) Jhelum
(d) Chenab

33. By 2025 how many people will live in absolute water scarcity?
(a) 1 billion
(b) 5 billion
(c) 2 billion
(d) 6 billion

34. Which one of the following options are incorrect as regards to water scarcity in
cities.
(i) Cities have low population
(ii) Increased consumption
(iii) Increased food production
(iv) They receive less rainfall
(a) (i) and (ii)
(b) (ii) and (iii)
(c) (i) and (iv)
(d) (iii) and (iv)

35. Which one of the following is not the example of Hydraulic structures in Ancient
India ?
(a) Bhopal Lake
(b) Lake Hauz Kauz
(c) Construction of dams, Lakes
(d) Damodar Valley Project
ANSWERS