With the help of a diagram, explain the hydrological cycle.

Diagram showing the the hydrological cycle is given below:

Most of the world's water is being recycled by this continuous process called the hydrological cycle or the water cycle.

1. The Sun heats up the water bodies. The water evaporates as water vapour, which being light in weight, rises in the air.
2. On reaching the higher, colder levels of the atmosphere, it cools and condenses into tiny water droplets that join to form clouds.
3. When the clouds become too heavy and cannot remain suspended in the air, it comes down as precipitation such as rain or snow. Rain is the biggest source of fresh water on the Earth.
4. Some of the rainwater seeps underground, some fills up depressions to form lakes, while others just flow into rivers and streams, which carry water to the oceans.
5. The cycle is then repeated.