Geography
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?
Water Resources
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Answer
India is known to be a land of rivers with 12 major rivers and 46 medium rivers. Many of these rivers are perennial and some of them are seasonal. The annual rainfall in India is 1,170 mm which is higher as compared to the world average of 800 mm. Despite this, acute shortage of water in some states is due to the following reasons:
- Uneven distribution — Water resources are not distributed evenly across the country. The monsoons rains are also spread unevenly. The result is that some states are devastated with floods while others face severe drought at the same time.
- Population growth — India has one of the world's largest populations, and the demand for water is increasing due to rapid urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural growth. India constitutes around 17% of the world's population but has only 4% of the world's freshwater resources.
- Poor water management — Inefficient management of water resources, lack of proper infrastructure, and poor governance are also contributing to the water shortage in some states.
- Pollution — Pollution of water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater, is reducing the availability of clean water for domestic, agricultural, and industrial use.
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Related Questions
Give a geographical reason for each of the following:
(i) Loss of water due to evaporation is highest in tanks.
(ii) Many cities have banned construction of tubewells.
(iii) Rabi crops are grown in areas with irrigation facilities.
Given a choice which modern method of irrigation would you use to irrigate your farm? Give reasons to support your answer.
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.