Water Resources PDF

# Water Resources ## Water Scarcity - The shortage of water is called water scarcity. - **Examples of water scarcity:** - In Rajasthan, women use traditional water storage vessels to transport water over long distances - After a flood in Kolkata, a boy still collects and stores drinking wa...

# Water Resources ## Water Scarcity - The shortage of water is called water scarcity. - **Examples of water scarcity:** - In Rajasthan, women use traditional water storage vessels to transport water over long distances - After a flood in Kolkata, a boy still collects and stores drinking water - **Most cases of water scarcity are caused by:** - Over exploitation of water - Excessive use of water - Unequal access to water ## Reasons for Water Scarcity 1. **Large and growing population:** creates greater demands for water and unequal access to it. A diagram depicts a growing population, increased demand for water, and a glass of water, with "Able to Access" and "Unable to access" pointing towards "Rich People" and "Poor People" respectively. 2. **Over-exploiting water resources to expand agriculture:** - Increasing population leads to increased food-grain production, requiring farmers to perform agriculture activity and extract water from wells and tubewells. - This depletes ground water levels. 3. **Increases in industries:** - As industries grow, more water is being used. - Discarded industrial waste water pollutes rivers. - An increase in electricity production through hydropower further increases demand for clean fresh water. 22% of electricity in this area is hydroelectricity. 4. **Over-exploitation of water in urban areas:** - As village residents move to urban areas, the demand for water increases because urban areas often use their own installed groundwater pumping devices. 5. **Inadequate water quality:** - Even in areas with enough water, the water quality may be poor. - Water is often contaminated with domestic and industrial waste, or chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers. ## Water Scarcity Reasons Summary A diagram summarizes the five reasons for water scarcity: - 1 Growing Population - 2 Intense agriculture - 3 Industrialisation - 4 Urbanization - 5 Water Pollution ## Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - The government of India has established the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to improve the quality of life for people living in rural areas. - **Goal of JJM:** - Providing every rural household with an assured supply of potable piped water. - Supplying every person in rural areas with 55 liters of piped water daily. ## Why We Need Water Conservation & Management Water scarcity causes: - Health Hazards - Food Security issues - Ecosystem degradation - Ecological crises ## Multi-Purpose River Projects & Integrated Water Resources Management ### Hydraulic Structures **What are Hydraulic Structures?** - Such structures help to collect and manage water flow. - **Examples of Hydraulic Structures** - Dams - Reservoirs - Canals - Lakes ### Hydraulic Structures in Ancient India - **1st century BC:** Sringaverapura near Allahabad had a sophisticated water harvesting system that directed flood waters of the Ganga River. - **During the time of Chandragupta Maurya:** Dams, lakes, and irrigation systems were built extensively. - **Kalinga (Odisha), Nagarjunakonda (Andhra Pradesh), Bennur (Karnataka), Kolhapur (Maharashtra):** Sophisticated irrigation systems are found at these locations. - **11th century:** Bhopal Lake, one of the largest artificial lakes of its time was built. - **14th century:** The tanker in Hauz Khas, Delhi was built to supply water to the Siri Fort area. ### Examples of Hydraulic Structures - **Canals:** A picture of a canal is displayed. - **Dams:** A picture of a dam is displayed. - **Lakes:** A picture of a lake is displayed. ### Dams **What is a Dam?** - A dam is a barrier that obstructs, directs, or slows down the flow of water. - Dams often create a reservoir, lake, or impoundment. A picture of a dam is displayed. **Classification of Dams** - **On the basis of material:** - Timber Dams: Made of wood. A picture of a timber dam is displayed. - Masonry Dams: *Made of rocks, bricks, and concrete*. A picture of a masonry dam is displayed. - Embankment Dams: *Made of soil, rocks, wood, or plastic*. A picture of an embankment dam is displayed. - **On the basis of height:** - High Hieghted Dams (Large Dams): A picture of a large dam is displayed - Medium Hieghted Dams (Medium Dams): A picture of a medium dam is displayed - Low Hieghted Dams (Small Dams): A picture of a small dam is displayed. **Uses of Dams:** - **Traditionally:** Dams were used to control floodwaters and irrigate agricultural fields. - **Modern Uses:** - Irrigation - Electricity generation - Domestic and Industrial Uses - Recreation and inland navigation - Fish breeding A diagram summarizes the uses of dams: - Irrigation - Electricity Generation - Domestic & Industrial - Recreation & Inland Navigation - Fish Breeding **Examples of Dams** A picture of the Bhakra Nangal Dam is displayed: - **Location:** Sutluj-Beas river basin. - **Main Purpose:** - Hydroelectricity production - Irrigation A picture of the Hirakud Dam is displayed: - **Location:** Mahanadi basin. - **Main Purpose:** - Water Conservation - Flood Control *"Dam is the temple of modern India"* - **Opposition to Dams:** - In recent years, there has been a growing opposition to the construction of multi-purpose river projects and large dams. - People often protest over the negative impacts of dams, as shown in the picture of the protest: - "Who is state to encroach our lands" - "No Dam" - **Why is there opposition to dams?** - Regulating and damming of water can disrupt the natural flow of rivers. - Sediments can build at the bottom of reservoirs, resulting in a decrease in water flow. - Rockier streambeds and less suitable habitats for aquatic life can be the result of dam construction. - It can be difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate and reproduce. - Vegetation and soil submerged by the dam can decompose, leading to poor water quality. - Multi-purpose projects often involve large-scale displacement of local communities. - People are forced to leave their homes and give up their livelihoods. - Landowners, farmers, and industrialists benefit, but the local communities often don't. - Irrigation changes the cropping patterns in agricultural areas, leading to: - Salinization of the soil - A widening gap between rich and poor farmers. - Conflicts over resources. - In Gujarat, the Sabarmati-basin farmers were upset over city dwellers receiving a higher priority for water during droughts and almost started a riot. - Disputes arise between states over the sharing of the costs and benefits of multi-purpose projects. - The Krishna-Godavri river flows through Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The states have a disagreement as to how to manage and benefit from the river. - Many multi-purpose projects have failed to achieve their intended purposes. - For example, dams built to prevent floods have often triggered floods instead, due to sediment build-up. - Dams built to control floods are often unsuccessful at controlling the amount of flooding during periods of heavy rainfall. ### Summary of Reasons for Opposition to Multi-Purpose Projects - Regulating and damming of water affect the natural flow of rivers. - Multi-purpose projects can cause social movements and negatively affect local populations. - Irrigation leads to changes that disadvantage local communities. - Inter-state disputes can create conflicts over multi-purpose projects. - Multi-purpose projects can fail to accomplish their stated goals. ## Rainwater Harvesting **What is rainwater harvesting?** - Rainwater harvesting is a way to collect and store rainwater for various uses. A picture of a house and a glass of water shows how rainwater is collected from rooftops and stored. **Methods of Rainwater Harvesting** 1. **Diversion channels for agriculture:** In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels to collect rainwater for use in agriculture. These channels are called "guls" or "kuls" in the Western Himalayas. A picture of a pond with a small dam is displayed. 2. **Rooftop rainwater for drinking water:** Rooftop rainwater harvesting was commonly practiced to store drinking water, especially in Rajasthan. A picture of a house with a gutter leading into a storage container is displayed. 3. **Inundation channels for irrigation:** In the flood plains of Bengal, people build irrigation channels to redirect floodwater into their fields. A picture shows how water flows into a basin through a filter system. 4. **Rain-fed storage:** In dry and semi-dry regions, agricultural fields were transformed into rain-fed storage systems to catch rainwater and moisten the soil. These systems are called "khadins" in Jaisalmer and "johads" in other areas of Rajasthan. A picture of a barrier directing rainwater into a basin is displayed. 5. **Underground tanks:** In dry and semi-dry regions of Rajasthan, many homes traditionally used underground tanks to store drinking water. A picture shows a house and an underground tank. - **Advantages of underground tanks:** - Tanks provide a reliable source of drinking water when other sources may dry up. - Underground tanks can be connected to rooms, making them cooler in the summer months. - Rainwater is called "palar pani" (water that descends from heaven) in Rajasthan. **Modern Challenges to Rainwater Harvesting:** - Due to access to canal water in western Rajasthan, rooftop rainwater harvesting has declined. - Some people still prefer to collect rainwater because they don't like the taste of tap water. **Example of Successful Rainwater Harvesting** - **Gendathur, Karnataka:** 200 households have successfully installed rooftop rainwater harvesting systems. They harvest 100,000 liters of rainwater annually. A picture of a water storage tank in a village is displayed. **Interesting Fact about Rainwater Harvesting:** - **Tamil Nadu:** Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to make rooftop rainwater harvesting structures compulsory for all houses. Laws are in place to punish those who do not comply. A map shows India and Tamil Nadu is highlighted. **Bamboo Drip Irrigation System** - **Meghalaya:** Meghalaya possesses a 200-year-old system of diverting water from streams and springs to irrigate crops. Bamboo pipes are used for the diversion. A diagram shows the bamboo pipes in use. - Water enters the bamboo pipe system, and slowly drips through a large series of bamboo pipe lengths. - 18-20 liters of water enter into the system. - The system can carry water over hundreds of miles. - About 20-80 drops of water drip per minute at the end of the system, providing an effective method of irrigation.