Synonyms
More meanings
Tip: select a single word for meaning & synonyms.
Select multiple words normally to copy text.
Water Resources: TBSE Class 10 Geography questions, answers
Get here the notes, questions, answers, textbook solutions, summary, additional/extras, and PDF of TBSE (Tripura Board) Class 10 madhyamik Social Science (Geography/Contemporary India II) Chapter “Water Resources.” However, the provided notes should only be treated as references, and the students are encouraged to make changes to them as they feel appropriate.
Summary
Water is a renewable resource that is constantly replenished through the hydrological cycle, but despite three-fourths of the Earth’s surface being covered in water, water scarcity is a growing concern. This scarcity is often caused by over-exploitation, excessive use, and unequal access to water among different social groups, rather than a lack of available water resources.
Population growth and industrialization have also contributed to water scarcity, as industries are heavy users of water and urban centers with large populations and high energy demands exacerbate the problem. Additionally, even if there is sufficient water available, the quality of the water may be poor due to pollution from domestic and industrial waste, chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers.
To address this issue, it is necessary to conserve and manage our water resources to ensure food security, continuation of livelihoods and productive activities, and prevent ecological crises. Overexploitation and mismanagement of water resources will have profound impacts on our lives, and it is crucial to take action to safeguard this valuable resource.
To conserve and manage water, several methods can be adopted, including multi-purpose projects, integrated water resources management, and rainwater harvesting. Multi-purpose projects and dams were traditionally built to impound rivers and rainwater that could be used later to irrigate agricultural fields. Nowadays, dams are built for electricity generation, water supply for domestic and industrial uses, flood control, recreation, inland navigation, and fish breeding. Multi-purpose projects integrate the various uses of the impounded water with one another.
However, dams and multi-purpose projects have also come under scrutiny and opposition in recent years. They affect the natural flow of rivers, causing poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life. Dams also fragment rivers, making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for spawning. The reservoirs that are created on the floodplains also submerge the existing vegetation and soil leading to its decomposition over time.
Rainwater harvesting is an alternative to multi-purpose projects and dams. In ancient India, people had in-depth knowledge of rainfall regimes and soil types and developed wide-ranging techniques to harvest rainwater, groundwater, river water, and flood water according to local ecological conditions and their water needs. People built diversion channels like the ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ of the Western Himalayas for agriculture. ‘Rooftop rainwater harvesting’ was commonly practiced to store drinking water, particularly in Rajasthan. In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate their fields. In arid and semi-arid regions, people built check dams, tanks and ponds to conserve rainwater. These practices help conserve water, prevent soil erosion, and recharge groundwater.
Textual questions and answers
1. Multiple choice questions.
(i) Based on the information given below classify each of the situations as ‘suffering from water scarcity’ or ‘not suffering from water scarcity’.
(a) Region with high annual rainfall.
(b) Region having high annual rainfall and large population.
(c) Region having high annual rainfall but water is highly polluted.
(d) Region having low rainfall and low population.
Answer: (a) Region with high annual rainfall would not be suffering from water scarcity.
(b) Region having high annual rainfall and large population could be suffering from water scarcity.
(c) Region having high annual rainfall but water is highly polluted could be suffering from water scarcity.
(d) Region having low rainfall and low population could be suffering from water scarcity.
(ii) Which one of the following statements is not an argument in favour of multipurpose river projects?
(a) Multi-purpose projects bring water to those areas which suffer from water scarcity.
(b) Multi-purpose projects by regulating water flow helps to control floods.
(c) Multi-purpose projects lead to large scale displacements and loss of livelihood.
(d) Multi-purpose projects generate electricity for our industries and our homes.
Answer: (c) Multi-purpose projects lead to large scale displacements and loss of livelihood.
(iii) Here are some false statements. Identify the mistakes and rewrite them correctly.
(a) Multiplying urban centres with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles have helped in proper utilisation of water resources.
(b) Regulating and damming of rivers does not affect the river’s natural flow and its sediment flow.
(c) In Gujarat, the Sabarmati basin farmers were not agitated when higher priority was given to water supply in urban areas, particularly during droughts.
(d) Today in Rajasthan, the practice of rooftop rainwater water harvesting has gained popularity despite high water availability due to the Indira Gandhi Canal.
Answer: The false statements are:
(a) Multiplying urban centres with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles have helped in proper utilisation of water resources.
(b) Regulating and damming of rivers does not affect the river’s natural flow and its sediment flow.
(d) Today in Rajasthan, the practice of rooftop rainwater water harvesting has gained popularity despite high water availability due to the Indira Gandhi Canal.
The corrected statements are:
(a) Multiplying urban centres with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles have not necessarily helped in proper utilisation of water resources.
(b) Regulating and damming of rivers can affect the river’s natural flow and its sediment flow.
(d) Today in Rajasthan, the practice of rooftop rainwater water harvesting has gained popularity despite the availability of water from the Indira Gandhi Canal.
2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.
(i) Explain how water becomes a renewable resource.
Answer: Water is a renewable resource because it is constantly replenished through the water cycle. Water evaporates from the surface of the earth, rises into the atmosphere, and then falls back to the earth as rain or snow. This cycle is constantly repeating, which means that water is constantly being renewed and is therefore considered a renewable resource.
(ii) What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?
Answer: Water scarcity is a situation in which the demand for water exceeds the available supply. It can be caused by factors such as population growth, over-exploitation of water resources, climate change, and pollution. It can also be caused by poor water management and infrastructure, leading to inefficient use of water resources.
(iii) Compare the advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose river projects.
Answer: Multi-purpose river projects have both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that they can provide a variety of services such as irrigation, hydropower, flood control, and navigation. However, they can also have negative impacts on the environment, such as the disruption of natural river flows, the destruction of habitats, and the displacement of people.
3. Answer the following questions in about 120 words.
(i) Discuss how rainwater harvesting in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan is carried out.
Answer: Rainwater harvesting in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan is typically carried out using traditional methods. These methods include constructing small tanks and ponds to collect and store rainwater, using water harvesting pits to collect and store runoff from roofs and other surfaces, and using check dams and other structures to slow the flow of water and increase the amount of water that can be collected. Additionally, some modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being used, such as rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, which involve collecting rainwater from rooftops and storing it in underground tanks. These methods are being used to conserve and store water in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan.
(ii) Describe how modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being carried out to conserve and store water.
Answer: Modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being used to conserve and store water in many parts of India. Rooftop rainwater harvesting systems are being installed in households in both rural and urban areas to collect and store rainwater. Additionally, bamboo drip irrigation systems are being used in Meghalaya to transport water from streams and springs to plants. This system involves tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo pipes and then reducing the flow to 20-80 drops per minute at the site of the plant. These modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being used to conserve and store water in many parts of India.
Additional/extra questions, answers and MCQs
1: What percentage of the earth’s surface is covered with water?
Answer: About 71 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.
2: What is the percentage of fresh water effectively available for human use on the earth?
Answer: About 3 percent of the total water on the earth is of fresh which is effectively available for human use.
Q: What are the different uses of water mentioned in the text?
Answer: Water is used for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes. Besides, it is also used for production of hydro-electricity, navigation, fishery, etc.
Q: Why does the availability of fresh water vary over space and time in India?
Answer: The availability of fresh water varies over space and time in India because the spatial distribution of rainfall is very uneven. Rainfall during the south-west monsoon period is also very uncertain and it is confined to 4 months only.
Q: What is India’s rank in terms of water availability per person per annum?
Answer: India receives nearly 4 per cent of the global precipitation and ranks 133 in the world in terms of water availability per person per annum.
Q: What is the estimated total renewable water resources of India per annum?
Answer: The total renewable water resources of India is estimated at 1897 cubic km per annum.
Q: What is the prediction for the availability of fresh water in India in the future?
Answer: It is predicted that large parts of the country will be in absolute water scarcity by 2025. The limited supply of fresh water in the country may be depleted or made unusable by excessive utilisation, pollution or careless management.
Q: What are the four major sources of water mentioned in the text?
Answer: The four major sources of water mentioned in the text are (i) Atmospheric water, (ii) Surface water, (iii) Ground water, and (iv) Ocean water.
Q: How does atmospheric water reach the earth’s surface?
Answer: Atmospheric water reaches the earth’s surface through different forms of precipitation like rainfall or snowfall.
Q: What is the most widespread form of precipitation in India?
Answer: In India, rainfall is the most widespread form of precipitation.
Q: Where is snowfall mainly confined to in India?
Answer: Snowfall is mainly confined to limited areas particularly in the Himalayas in India.
Q: When is rainfall mainly concentrated in India?
Answer: Rainfall is mainly concentrated in the monsoon season in India.
Q: What is the average annual rainfall in India?
Answer: The average rainfall in India is around 117 cm in a year.
Q: What is the range of annual rainfall in most parts of India?
Answer: In most parts of the country, the annual rainfall ranges between 50-200 cm.
Q: What is the annual rainfall in the eastern parts of India on average?
Answer: The eastern parts of India get an average of 200 cm of rainfall every year.
Q: What is atmospheric water?
Answer: Atmospheric water is the water that reaches the earth’s surface through different forms of precipitation, such as rainfall and snowfall.
Q: What are some examples of surface water?
Answer: Surface water appears as rivers, lakes, ponds, and tanks.
Q: How many rivers are there in India, and what is the total mean annual flow?
Answer: There are 10,360 rivers in India, and they altogether account for the mean annual flow of 1,869 cubic km.
Q: What percentage of replenishable ground water resources is shared by the Ganga and the Brahmaputra basins?
Answer: About 46% of replenishable ground water resources in India is shared by the Ganga and the Brahmaputra basins.
Q: Why is most of the peninsular plateau deprived of ground water?
Answer: Most of the peninsular plateau is deprived of ground water because the region is made of old hard impervious rocks, and the water table is very low.
Q: What is the percentage of developed ground water resources to total available potential in Punjab?
Answer: The percentage of developed ground water resources to total available potential in Punjab is 98.34%.
Q: What are some examples of water bodies that are generally brackish or saline and have limited use?
Answer: Some examples of water bodies that are generally brackish or saline and have limited use are lagoons, backwaters, and lakes formed along the Indian coastline.
Q: How many rivers are there in India and how much surface water do they account for?
Answer: There are 10,360 rivers in India which altogether account for the mean annual flow of 1,869 cubic km.
Q: How much of the available surface water in India can be used and why?
Answer: Only about 690 cubic km of the available surface water in India can be used due to topographical, hydrological, and other constraints.
Q: Which three major river systems have the largest catchment areas in northern India?
Answer: The three major river systems that have the largest catchment areas in northern India are the Indus, the Ganga, and the Brahmaputra along with their tributaries.
Q: Which of the uses of water consumes over 80% of all water resources in India?
Answer: Irrigation consumes over 80% of all water resources in India.
Q: What are the three main sources of irrigation in India?
Answer: The three main sources of irrigation in India are canals, wells and tube wells, and tanks.
Q: What is the impact of industrial effluents and urban wastes on freshwater sources in India?
Answer: Industrial effluents and urban wastes being discharged in nearby freshwater sources like rivers can reduce the availability of potable water and pollute water sources that are not fit for human and animal consumption.
Q: What are the main modes of irrigation in India?
Answer: The main modes of irrigation in India are canals, wells and tube-wells, and tank irrigation.
Q: Where are canals mostly found in India?
Answer: Canals are mostly found in the plains, coastal, and deltaic regions of India. They are found in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, and West Bengal.
Q: Which are the important canals in Uttar Pradesh?
Answer: The upper and the lower Ganga canals, the Sharda canal, the Yamuna canal, the Agra and the Betwa canals are worth mentioning in Uttar Pradesh.
Q: In which regions of India is tank irrigation mainly practised?
Answer: Tank irrigation is mainly practised in peninsular India, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. It is also important in West Bengal and Odisha.
Q: Why were dams traditionally built in India?
Answer: Traditionally, dams were built in India to impound rivers and rainwater for irrigation, particularly for irrigating fields where crops are grown.
Q: What are multi-purpose projects in India?
Answer: Multi-purpose projects in India refer to dams of river valley projects that serve many purposes such as irrigation, generation of hydro-electricity, water supply, flood control, inland navigation, fish breeding, and conservation of soils.
Q: What is the significance of dams in India?
Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed dams as the ‘Temples of modern India’ because they are crucial for the integrated water resource management, which is considered a key driver for the nation’s development and progress. In India, a number of multi-purpose projects have been launched with integrated water resource management.
Q: What is the Bhakra Nangal Project and where is it located?
Answer: The Bhakra Nangal Project is a multi-purpose project located on the Sutlej river, and it is a joint venture of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Delhi.
Q: What is the Govind Sagar and how is it formed?
Answer: The Govind Sagar is a large reservoir formed by the Bhakra dam, which is the highest dam in the world.
Q: How much land is irrigated by the Bhakra Nangal Project, and how much power is produced by it?
Answer: The Bhakra Nangal Project irrigates about 1.5 million hectares of land and produces 1204 MW of power.
Q: What is the Damodar Valley Project, and how many dams are built as a part of it?
Answer: The Damodar Valley Project is a multi-purpose project, and it has four dams built on the river Damodar and its tributaries.
Q: How much land is irrigated by the Hirakud Project, and how much power is produced by it?
Answer: The Hirakud Project irrigates 1 million hectares of land and produces 350 MW of power.
Q: What is the Chambal Project, and what are the names of the three dams associated with it?
Answer: The Chambal Project is a multi-purpose project jointly undertaken by Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. It has three dams, namely the Gandhi Sagar dam in Madhya Pradesh and the Rana Pratap Sagar and the Jawahar Sagar dams in Rajasthan.
Q: What is the Beas Project?
Answer: The Beas Project is a project that links the Beas and the Sutlej and has a dam at Pong. It irrigates about 1.7 million hectares of land in the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Q: What is the Rajasthan Canal Project also known as?
Answer: The Rajasthan Canal Project is also known as the Indira Gandhi Canal Project.
Q: What is the purpose of the Kosi Project?
Answer: The Kosi Project has a barrage built at Hanumannagar on the Kosi in Nepal. It irrigates 8.7 lakh hectares of land in Bihar and Nepal and also protects Nepal and Bihar from floods.
Q: What is the Nagarjuna Sagar Project and why is it controversial?
Answer: The Nagarjuna Sagar Project is one of the largest river valley projects in the world and includes the construction of 29 major, 450 medium, and 3,000 minor dams. Though the project has large economic prospects, it is surrounded by controversies.
Q: What is the Sardar Sarovar Project and what does it produce?
Answer: The Sardar Sarovar Project is a high dam that will be constructed in the lower Narmada valley in Gujarat. It irrigates 17.92 lakh hectares of land and will produce 1450 MW of power.
Q: What are some of the controversies surrounding multi-purpose projects and large dams in India?
Answer: Multi-purpose projects and large dams have raised controversies as they affect the natural flow of the rivers resulting in sedimentation and in rockier stream beds. It also makes the aquatic fauna difficult to migrate for spawning. Besides, a large number of people have been displaced as the vegetational belts and agricultural fields are submerged by the impounded water of the dams. Authorities have also failed to rehabilitate the communities that have been displaced.
Q: What are some of the causes of water scarcity in India?
Answer: Water scarcity in India can be caused by over-exploitation, excessive use, and unequal access to water among different social groups. In addition, growing populations and changes in agriculture, industry, and urban lifestyles can exacerbate the problem.
Q: Why might there be water scarcity in areas with ample water resources?
Answer: Even in areas with ample water resources, there may still be water scarcity due to factors such as population growth, increasing demands for water, and unequal access to water.
Q: What are some examples of industries that put pressure on fresh water resources in India?
Answer: Some industries in India are heavy users of water, and their power requirements come from hydroelectricity. The increasing number of industries has put more pressure on fresh water resources.
Q: What are some water-saving technologies and methods that can be adopted to conserve water in India?
Answer: Effective measures for the conservation of water should be adopted in India, including the use of water-saving technologies and methods, such as watershed management, rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and reuse.
Q: What is a watershed?
Answer: A watershed is an area of land that separates two river basins.
Q: What does watershed management include?
Answer: Watershed management includes conservation, regeneration and judicious use of land, water, plants and animals and human within a watershed.
Q: What is rainwater harvesting?
Answer: Rainwater harvesting is a system to capture and store rainwater for various uses.
Q: What is the purpose of rainwater harvesting?
Answer: The purpose of rainwater harvesting is to increase water availability, recharge ground water aquifers, improve the quality of groundwater, and check the declining of the groundwater table.
Q: What are some benefits of rainwater harvesting?
Answer: Rainwater harvesting helps to check floods and soil erosion, arrest salt water intrusion in coastal areas, and is a low cost and eco-friendly technique for preserving every drop of water.
Q: What are some traditional methods of rainwater harvesting practised in different regions of India?
Answer: In hills and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the ‘Kuls’ or ‘Guls’ of the western Himalayas. In the flood plains of West Bengal, people developed inundation canals to irrigate their fields. In semi arid and arid regions, Rooftop rainwater harvesting’ was commonly practised to store drinking water and agricultural fields were converted into rainfed storage structures that allowed the water to stand and moisten the soils like the ‘Khadins’ and ‘Johads’ of Rajasthan.
Q: Why has rooftop rainwater harvesting decreased in Rajasthan?
Answer: Rooftop rainwater harvesting is on the decline in Rajasthan as plenty of water is available due to the perennial Rajasthan canal.
Q: Which state in India has made rooftop rainwater harvesting structure compulsory for all the houses?
Answer: Tamil Nadu is the first and the only state in India which has made rooftop rainwater harvesting structures compulsory for all the houses across the state.
Q. What is rainwater harvesting?
a) capturing and storing rainwater for various uses
b) constructing dams for storing rainwater
c) using rainwater to generate electricity
d) using rainwater to irrigate agricultural fields
Answer: a) capturing and storing rainwater for various uses
Q. What is watershed management?
a) conservation of water resources in a watershed
b) construction of dams and reservoirs in a watershed
c) using water resources for industrial purposes
d) exploiting water resources for profit
Answer: a) conservation of water resources in a watershed
Q. Which state in India has made rooftop rainwater harvesting compulsory for all the houses?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) Meghalaya
c) Rajasthan
d) West Bengal
Answer: a) Tamil Nadu
Q. What is the main cause of water scarcity in most cities in India?
a) unequal distribution of rainfall
b) lack of water resources
c) over-exploitation and excessive use of water
d) poor water management policies
Answer: c) over-exploitation and excessive use of water
93. What is the purpose of rainwater harvesting?
a) to generate electricity
b) to recharge ground water aquifers
c) to increase the salinity of ground water
d) to cause floods and soil erosion
Answer: b) to recharge ground water aquifers
