WATER RESOURCES

The origin of fresh water

• Obtained from surface run off & ground water
• Being renewed & recharged through the hydrological cycle
• All water moves within the hydrological cycle
• Water is a renewable resource
Water Scarcity – Reasons
 Due to the variations in seasonal and annual precipitation
 Is caused by over- exploitation, excessive use and unequal access to water among
different social groups
Outcome of large and growing population and consequent greater demands for water, and
unequal access to it
Demands of large population
 More water required for domestic & to produce more food.
 To facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources are being over-exploited to
expand irrigated areas and dry-season agriculture.
 Most of the farmers have their own wells and tube-wells in their farms for irrigation to
increase the production – may lead to falling groundwater levels, adversely affecting
water availability and food security of the people
Intensive Industrialization & Urbanization
 The ever growing number of industries, the demand for water has grown
tremendously
 Industries are heavy users of fresh water as water is required for cooling the
machines as well as for the processing of goods.
 The machines run on the power supplied by the hydel power plants.
 22 percent of the total electricity is hydro-electric power.
 Rapid urbanisation has led to expansion of industries which increased the
requirement of water.
The untreated industrial effluents which are discharged into water bodies are polluting the
water and making it hazardous for human consumption. This is responsible for creating
water scarcity.
water resources are being over-exploited
 Large urban populations and urban lifestyles have not only added to water and
energy requirements
 over-drawing the groundwater by using their own groundwater pumping devices for
meeting their water needs for domestic purposes such as cleaning, cooking,
washing, etc.
 Water resources are being over-exploited which has caused their depletion in several
cities.
How does water get polluted ?
 Domestic wastes, especially urban sewers.
 Industrial wastes are disposed off in the water without proper treatment.
 Chemical effluents from industries & from agricultural sector.
 Pesticides & fertilisers used in agriculture may get washed into rivers by rain-water
and may pollute the water by enriching it with minerals.
 Many human activities, e.g., religious rituals & immersing of idols, etc. in the water
also pollute water.
 The need of the hour
 Water resources are limited and the requirements are increasing day by day. The
water resources are unevenly distributed.
 Most of our resources especially in the cities and urban areas are polluted and
unsuitable for drinking and other purposes.
 To safeguard from health hazards.
 Need to conserve water for the continuation of our livelihoods and to prevent
degradation of the natural ecosystem. To ensure food security and for continuation
of our livelihoods.
 For productive activities of the nation.
 To prevent degradation of our natural ecosystem.

Measures for water conservation

 Do not overdraw the ground water, recharge the ground water by techniques like
rainwater harvesting.
 Avoid wastage of water at all levels.
 Do not pollute the water.
 Increasing the water resources by tapping the rainwater in reservoirs, watershed
development programmes, etc.
 Adopting water conserving techniques of irrigation, e.g., drip irrigation and sprinklers
etc., especially in dry areas.
 Sufficient water percolation facilities should be increased to help in raising the level of
the water table.

Hydraulic Structures in Ancient India

 In the first century B.C., Allahabad had sophisticated water harvesting system
channeling the flood water of the river Ganga.
 Dams built of stone rubble e.g., during Chandragupta Maurya’s time, dams, lakes
and irrigation systems were extensively built.
 Reservoirs or lakes like the Bhopal lake of the 11th century which was one of the
largest artificial lakes of its time.
 Embankments and canals for irrigation. Sophisticated irrigation works have been
found in Kalinga (Orissa), Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Nagarjunakonda (Andhra
Pradesh) etc.
Many tanks were built to store rainwater e.g., the tank in Huaz Khas in Delhi was built
in 14th century to supply water to Siri Fort area.
Advantages – MPP
 They bring water to those areas which suffer from water scarcity & also provide water
for irrigation.
 These projects generate electricity for industries and our homes.
 They help in controlling floods by regulating the water flow.
 These projects can be used for recreation, inland navigation and fish breeding.
The Temples of Modern India
 Jawahar Lal Nehru proclaimed the statement.
 Thought of as the vehicle that would lead the nation to development and progress.
 He believed that these projects with their integrated water resource management
approach would integrate development of agriculture and the village economy with
rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban economy.

Purpose of Dams
 Ancient VS Modern Dams
 Dams were traditionally built to impound rivers and rainwater that could be used later
to irrigate agricultural fields.
 The main purposes served by these projects are irrigation, electricity generation,
flood control, water supply for domestic and industrial use, fish breeding and tourism.

Disadvantages – MPP
 Damming of rivers affects their natural flow causing poor sediment flow.
 Excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir.
 Lack of sediments results in
◦ rockier stream bed
 ◦ poorer habitat for the river’s aquatic life.
 Dams also fragment rivers, making it difficult for acquatic fauna to migrate, especially
for spawning.
 The reservoirs submerge the existing vegetation and soil, leading to its
decomposition over time.
 Flood plains are deprived of silt and khadar, affecting the fertility levels of the soil.
 Construction of dams also faces resistance because of large scale displacement of
local communities.
 Inter state water disputes arise .

The movements against MPP

 Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and
 ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’.
 Major concerns :
 Initially the environmental concerns were of utmost importance.(trees submerged
under water )
 Recently dams have resulted in large-scale displacement of local communities.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

 It is an NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) that mobilised tribal people, farmers,
environmentalists and human rights activists against the Sardar Sarovar Dam being
built across the Narmada river in Gujarat.
 The movement originally focused on environmental issues related to submerging of
trees under the dam water.
 Recently its aim has been to enable the displaced poor people to get full
rehabilitation facilities from the government.
 Local people have to give up their land and livelihood.
 Local people do not benefit from such projects as they are even deprived of the local
sources on which they have little control.
 Many settlements and agricultural lands are submerged under water.
 Rehabilitation of the displaced persons is now the prime concern of these
movements.
Social Consequences
 Dams have resulted in large-scale displacement of local communities.
 Local people have to give up their land and livelihood.
 Local people do not benefit from such projects as they are even deprived of the local
resources on which they have little control.
 Many settlements and agricultural lands are submerged under water.

ANCIENT TECHNIQUES IN RAIN WATER HARVESTING

 In Western Himalayas areas ‘Guls’ and ‘Kuls’ the diversion channels were built for
agriculture.
 ‘Rooftop rainwater harvesting’ was commonly practised to store drinking water,
especially in Rajasthan.
 Inundation channels for irrigation were developed in the flood plains of West
Bengal.
 In arid and semi-arid regions, agricultural fields were converted into rain fed storage
structures, eg. ‘Khadins’ in Jaisalmer and ‘Johads’ in other parts of Rajasthan.
 In semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi and
Barmer, all the houses had underground tanks or ‘tankas’ built inside the house for
storing drinking water.
 They were a part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system.
 Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting
 It was commonly practiced to store drinking water, especially in semi-arid and arid
regions like Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer in Rajasthan.
 In semi-arid and arid regions, all the houses had underground tankas or ‘tankas’ for
storing drinking water built inside the house.
 They were the part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system.
 The tankas could be as large as a big room. One household in Phalodi had a tank
that was 6.1 metres deep, 4.27 metres long and 2.44 metres wide
The tankas were built inside the main house or the courtyard.
 The tanks were connected to the sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe.
 The falling rain would travel down the pipes and get stored in the underground
‘tankas’.
 The first spell of rain would not be collected as it cleaned the roof and pipes.
 The rainwater(‘Palar Pani’) from subsequent showers was collected.
 Many houses constructed underground rooms adjoining the tanka to beat the
summer heat as it would keep the room cool.

Mawsynram is the region of highest rainfall, yet it faces acute water shortage-
Why?- How it has been overcome?
 Rooftop rainwater harvesting is the most common practice in Shillong, Meghalaya.
 Cherapunjee and Mawsynram situated at a distance of 55 km. from Shillong
receives the highest rainfall in the world, yet the state capital Shillong faces acute
shortage of water since not having proper water management system earlier.
 Now every household in the city has a rooftop rainwater harvesting structure.
 Nearly 15-25 per cent of the total water requirement of the household comes from
rooftop water harvesting.

Reasons behind decline of RRH in Western Rajasthan

 Due to the arrival of perennial Indiragandhi Canal, western Rajasthan, - decline the
practice of rooftop rainwater harvesting.
 Some houses still maintain the tankas since they do not like the taste of tap water.

Gendathur –Rain Water Harvesting

 In Gendathur, a remote backward village in Mysuru, Karnataka, villagers have
installed, in their household’s rooftop, rainwater harvesting system to meet their
water needs.
 Gendathur receives an annual precipitation, but nearly 50,000 litres of water collects
annually.
Tamil Nadu- RTRWH
 Tamil Nadu has made rooftop rainwater harvesting structure compulsory for all
houses across the state.
There are legal provisions to punish the defaulters

BAMBOO DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM

 In Meghalaya, a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and spring water by using
bamboo pipes, is practiced.
 About 18-20 litres of water enters the bamboo pipe system, gets transported over
hundreds of metres, and finally reduces to 20-80 drops per minute at the site of the
plant