3.Water Resources

Geography

                                    3.Water Resources                  R.Ayyappan

1.Why water is scarce in India (or) Reasons for water scarcity

Ø Growing population increases demand for water.

Ø Due to increase of population has creates more demand for food, raw material and domestic water needs.

Ø Dry season agriculture.

Ø Intensive industrialization exerting pressure on water resources.

Ø Industrial effluents and application of fertilizers and chemical pesticides has polluted the quality of water.

2.What is Multi – Purpose Projects? Or River valley projects?

Ø Checking the flow of water by constructing dam across the river is called river valley project.  Ex: Bhakra Nangal Project

3.Why River Valley projects are called Multi –Purpose Projects? Merits of Dams.

River Valley Projects were built for various objectives. They are as follows

Ø Irrigation

Ø Flood control

Ø Hydro – Electricity

Ø Afforestation

Ø Tourism

Ø Fishing  so river valley projects are Multi – Purpose Projects.

4.Why Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed dams as “Temples of modern India”

Ø After the construction of dam many lands in India was irrigated.

Ø Many farmers could able to practice crops.

Ø Employment has increased in agriculture sector.

Ø Percapita income of the farmers has increased.

5.Demerits or Disadvantages of Multi purpose projects.

Ø Dams checks natural flow of sediments.

Ø Sediments deposits at the bottom of the reservoir, if reduce the capacity of the dam

Ø Rockier bed of the stream is not suitable for aquatic fauna particularly for SPAWING.

Ø Reservoir may submerge the vegetation.

Ø Dam may lead to large scale displacement of people which may cause social movements like “Narmada BachaoAndolan”

Ø Due to sedimentation the dams can trigger floods.

Ø Dams can induce earthquakes.

6.What are the changes took place in the cropping pattern?

Ø Farmers shifting to water intensive commercial crops.

Ø This has led to the salinization of the land

7.How dams can lead to the regional conflicts?

Ø In Gujarat, the Sabarmathi basin farmers were agitated or protested over the higher priority given to the urban people.

Ø Interstate water disputes over the water stored in dams.

8.Rain water harvesting in India.

Ø Rooftop rainwater harvesting was commonly practiced in India for drinking water.

Ø Western Rajasthan: People built diversion channels called GULS or KULS.

Ø Rajasthan: Rain fed storage structure in agriculture lands to increase the soil moisture are called KHADINS in Jaisalmer and JOHADS in other part of Rajasthan

Ø Bikaner,Phalodi and Barmer districts almost all houses had underground tanks to store the rain water.

Ø The rainwater commonly known as “PALAR PANI”

Ø Karnataka – Mysore – Gendathur: all 200 households having rainwater harvesting system.Gendathur receives 1000mm of annual rainfall. This village collects 80% of its rainwater. Every house can collect and use about 50,000 liters of water annually.

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