Lecture 12
Water Resources
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Contents
• Introduction to Water Resources
• Types of Water Resources
• Water Calamities
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❑WATER RESOURCES
• Water is an indispensable natural resource on this
earth on which all life depends. More than 70% of
the earth's surface is covered by water and most of
the animals and plants have 60-65% water in their
body.
• Water is characterized by certain unique features
which make it a marvelous resource.
➢ It exists as a liquid over a wide range of temperature i.e.,
from 0°C to 100°C.
➢ It has the highest specific heat, due to which it warms up
and' cools down very slowly without causing shocks of
temperature jerks to the aquatic life.
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➢it has a high latent heat of vaporization.
Hence, it takes a huge amount of energy for
getting vaporized. That's why it produces a
cooling effect as it evaporates.
➢It is an excellent solvent for several nutrients.
Thus, it can serve as a very good carrier of
nutrients, including oxygen, which rs
essential for life. But it can easily dissolve
various pollutants and become a carrier of
pathogenic microorganisms.
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➢Due to high surface tension and cohesion it can
easily rise through great heights through the trunk
even in the tallest of the trees like Sequoia.
➢It has anomalous expansion behavior i.e., as it
freezes; it expands instead of contracting and thus
become lighter. It is because of this property that
even in extreme cold, the lakes freeze only on the
surface. Being lighter the ice keeps floating, whereas
the bottom waters remain at a higher temperature
and therefore, can sustain aquatic organisms even in
extreme cold.
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➢ Hydrological Cycle:
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➢Sources of Water:
❖Surface water:
• Rain Water
• River water
• Lake water
• Pond water
• Sea water
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❖Ground water:
• Groundwater is about 35 - 50 times that of surface
water supplies. Till some time back, groundwater was
considered to be very pure. However of late, even
groundwater aquifers have been found to be
contaminated by leachates from sanitary landfills etc.
• A layer of sediment or rock that is highly permeable
and contains water is called an aquifer. Layers of sand
and gravel are not call aquifers since they have low
permeability.
• Aquifers may be of two types:
▪ Unconfined aquifers
▪ Confined aquifers 9
• Unconfined aquifers:
Unconfined aquifers are those which are overlaid by permeable
earth materials and they are recharged by water seeping down
from above in the form of rainfall and snow melt.
• Confined aquifers:
Confined aquifers are those which are sandwiched between two
impermeable layers of rock or sediments and are recharged only
in those areas where the aquifers intersect the land surface.
Sometimes the recharged area is hundreds of kilometers away
from the location of the well. Ground water is not static, it moves,
through at a very slow rate of about a meter or so in a year.
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➢ Over Exploitation Of Water Resources:
❖ Over Exploitation of Ground Water:
• Subsidence
• Lowering of water table:
• Water logging
❖ Over Exploitation of Surface Water:
• Population growth
• Expansion of business activity
• Rapid urbanization
• Industrialization
• Climate change
• Pollution
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➢ Water Calamities:
❖Floods:
Flood refers to the presence of unusually large
amount of water at any place, or more water
than what can be handled by the drainage of the
area.
• Coastal flooding
• River flooding
• Flash flooding
• Groundwater flooding
• Sewer flooding
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❖Effects of Floods:
➢Floods damage property and endanger
the lives of humans and animals.
➢Due to floods soil erosion take place
➢Death of aquatic species
➢Bridges, roads, river banks are damaged
➢Huge financial losses due to flood
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❖Control of Floods
➢Construction of dams, reservoirs and
floodways artificial channels that divert
floodwater.
➢By restoring vegetation and efficient soil
management and conservation, such as crop
rotation and contour ploughing.
➢More public awareness programmes are
needed to help people understand living with
floods to ensure safety of river ecosystem.
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❖Drought:
➢When the place does not get as much water as the
need, over a significant period of time.
➢Drought is defined in three ways: an extended
period of below normal rainfall, a long term
depletion of groundwater, or the stunting of
vegetation growth due to lack of water.
✓Meteorological drought
✓Hydrological drought
✓Agricultural drought
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❖Effects of Drought:
➢It results in crop damage and water supply
shortage.
➢Drought increases pressure on the
environment, in terms of falling groundwater
tables and reduced tree cover.
➢Industry will face power crisis, due to the
expected shortfall in hydropower generation.
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❖Control of Droughts:
➢ Use of water from rainfall, surface and underground
water.
➢ Construction of tanks, ponds, reservoirs, arid well for
irrigation.
➢ Lining of canals and distributaries to minimize water
loss.
➢ Introduction of dry farming, horticulture, pasture
techniques.
➢ Introduction of water conservation schemes.
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