Geography
Give a geographical reason for each of the following:
(i) Many farmers in India still use wells.
(ii) There is very little recharge of groundwater.
(iii) The traditional wells dry up.
Answer
(i) Many farmers in India still use wells because wells can be dug at a very low cost and the oxen which are kept for ploughing the land can be utilised for drawing water from the well.
(ii) There is very little recharge of groundwater as only a small amount of rain water runs down the earth surface and gets stored in the form of groundwater. So, only a small percentage of water gets down to the water table and forms ground water.
(iii) The traditional wells dry up due to the over-withdrawal of the groundwater and lowering of the water table.
Related Questions
Given a choice which modern method of irrigation would you use to irrigate your farm? Give reasons to support your answer.
Nature has endowed India with plentiful water resources. Despite this, acute shortage of water is noticed in some states. What could be the reasons for this shortage?
In your city, critical shortage of water has been reported due to the sharp fall in the groundwater level. What steps you will take to check this scarcity of water?
Our country has a long history of water conservation techniques like (i) Surangam (Kerela): A horizontal well dug in laterite rock until a significant amount of water is struck. This water seeps out of the hard rock. Outside of the Surangam, the water is gathered in an open pit. (ii) Bawaris/Baolis (Rajasthan): A system of layered steps was created around the reservoirs to narrow and deepen the wells, reducing water loss through evaporation harvesting the scanty rainfall received by the region. (iii) Eri/ Ooranis (Tamil Nadu): A tank system that manages floods, minimises soil erosion and runoff during heavy rains. Thus recharging groundwater. (iv) Ahar Pynes (Bihar) are reservoirs with three-sided embankments (Ahar) constructed at the end of man-made diversion channels (Pynes). (v) Zing (Ladakh): Tank used to harvest water from glaciers. As the glacier melts during the day, a network of channels fill up with water. By the afternoon the water in the channels turns into a flowing stream which collects in the tank by evening and is used the next day.
Which one would be suitable for your city? Have you observed any of these traditional systems? If you have, briefly describe it.