WATER RESOURCES

Sources of Water:
• Ocean water estimates to about 97% of the earth’s water, but is unfit for human
consumption due to high salt content.
• 1% of the fresh water is available for use as surface and ground water.

Surface water:
• Rivers, lakes, ponds and tanks are reserves of fresh water. Precipitation that is rain
or snow is the source of water on the earth.
• In India, Odisa, Kerala and West Bengal have vast surface water resources like
lakes and lagoons which are brackish but are utilized for fishing and irrigation of crops
like rice and coconut.

Groundwater:

• The rain water sinks into the soil and gets collected under the surface of the land, is
known as groundwater.
• The underground water stream that is saturated with water is known as an aquifer.

Need To Conserve Water:

We need to conserve water for the following reasons:

• The overexploitation of groundwater is resulting in lowering of water table.
• Irrigation utilizes 90% of the fresh water.
• Increase is population results in water scarcity.
• Reduction in rainfall due to climate change.

Water Conservation Practices: Rain Water Harvesting

• Rain water harvesting is the collecting and storing of rainwater for optimum use.
• It helps in prevention of water loss through evaporation, runoff and seepage.
• Primitive Indian rain water harvesting practices include, Johads, Tankas, Zings etc.

Objectives of rain water harvesting:

• To meet the increasing demand for water.
• To reduce surface runoff.
• To avoid flooding of roads.
• To improve the quality of ground water.
• To reduce soil erosion.
 Elements of rain water harvesting:
• Catchments: It is the surface which receives rainfall directly like roof or terrace of
houses, lawns, open grounds etc.
• Conduits: Conduits are pipes or drains that carry the rain water from the catchment

to the storage.

• Storage Facility: Rainwater is stored in masonry or plastic tanks.

• Recharge Facility: Rainwater is allowed to percolate in the ground by structures like

dugwells, recharge pits and trenches.

Rooftop rain water Harvesting (Modern Method)

Watershed Management:

• It refers to the efficient mangment and conservation of surfae and groundwater.

• It prevents ruoffs, helps in storing water for future use as well as recharge

groundwater.

• ‘Haryali’ is a watershed development project, started by the Central Government. It

aims at conserving water in the rural areas for irrigation, domestic use and

afforestation.

Irrigation:
It is the process of watering of agricultural fields through artificial means like wells,
canals tubewells etc.
India is an agricultural country and depends largely on irrigation because of the
following reasons:
• Rainfall is seasonal from June to September.
• Uneven distribution of rainfall.
• Indian monsoons are erratic and sporadic.
• All crops do not have the same water requirement.
• Water requirement is different depending on the nature of the soil.

Methods of Irrigation:
Different means of irrigation are used depending on the relief, soil, rainfall and
groundwater.
1. WELLS: A well is a hole dug in the ground to obtain water from the subsoil.

Suitable conditions for digging wells:

• Groundwater table should be high.
• Ground should have soft rocks.

Advantages of well irrigation:

• It is a cheap and dependable source of irrigation.
• Wells can be dug at any convenient place.
• It is an independent source of irrigation and can be used whenever needed.

Disadvantages of well irrigation:

• Traditional wells dry up during the dry summers and fail to provide water when it is
needed the most.
• It can irrigate a small agricultural area.
• Water may be brackish and hence unsuitable for irrigation.

States where well irrigation is practiced: Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh

2. TUBEWELLS: A tubewell is a borewell, a small deep hole dug in the ground with the
help of a drilling machine.

Suitable conditions for digging wells:

• Groundwater table should be high.
• Level land and soft soil to facilitate digging.
• Availability of cheap electricity and diesel to run the tubewells.

Advantages of tubewell irrigation:

• It occupies less surface area as compare to surface wells.
• It can irrigate large agricultural lands.
• It is a perennial source of irrigation as water is pumped out from great depth.
• It is an independent source of irrigation.

Disadvantages of tubewell irrigation:

 • It leads to depletion of groundwater.
• It is expensive as it requires continuous supply of electricity or diesel.
• It is unfit for irrigation if the water is brackish.

States where tubewell irrigation is practiced: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab

3. CANALS: Canals are waterways that bring irrigation water from the source to the
area to be irrigated.

Suitable conditions for making canals:

• Soil should be soft and low relief (plains).
• There should be a perennial source of water like a perennial river.

Types of canals:
Perennial Canals Inundation Canals
• These canals are taken out from • These canals are out taken when
perennial rivers and therefore are the rivers are in floods and remain
useful throughout the year. operational only during the rainy
season.
• They have weires, which control the • They do not have weires, so the
flow of water. flow of water cannot be controlled.
• They are expensive to construct as • They are cheap to build as they are
they are lined with cement. unlined.
• They do not cause waterlogging. • They cause waterlogging.
• Being perennial these canals • Being seasonal these canals
support cultivation throughout the support cultivation only during the
year. monsoons.

Advantages of Canal irrigation:

• Canal water has sediments brought down by the rivers. These sediments add fertility to
the fields.
• Most of the canals are perennial and provide water in rainfall deficient areas and
promote large scale cultivation.
• Although the initial cost of canal construction is high, it becomes cost effective in a few
years.

Disadvantages of Canal irrigation:

• Unless canals are lined, it causes problem of waterlogging.
• Due to waterlogging the alkaline salts come to the surface, mix with the soil and make
it unproductive.
• Marshy areas near the canal become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
States where canal irrigation is practiced: Panjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh
4. TANKS: It refers to an area where water rainwater or water from streams is
impounded by constructing small bunds of earth or stones.

Suitable conditions for Tank irrigation:

• Availability of natural depressions on the ground.
• The ground should be rocky to prevent percolation of water.
• Moderate rainfall.

Advantages of Tank irrigation:

• It is significant in storing rainwater that would otherwise flow out and go wasted.
• It is cheap as it involves no construction cost.
• Collected water can be used in the dry season.

Disadvantages of Tank irrigation:

• It occupies a large fertile area which otherwise could be used for farming.
• They are not a dependable source of irrigation as they mostly dry up in the summers.
• Tanks get silted and regular desilting is required.
• Large amount of water is wasted through evaporation.

States where tank irrigation is practiced: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu.

Modern Irrigation Methods: These irrigation methods are highly scientific and help in
water conservation.

1. Drip Irrigation: In this method, water is provided through perforated pipes placed
between rows of crops or buried along their root lines.

Advantages of drip irrigation:

• It reduces evaporation as water is directly provided to the roots.
• It helps in conserving irrigation water.
• Fertilizers can be used with high efficiency.

Disadvantages of drip irrigation:

• Installation cost is high.
• Pipes may get clogged due to use of fertilizers.
• Bright sun may shorten the life span of the pipes.

States where drip irrigation is practiced: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

2. Sprinkler Irrigation: In this method of irrigation pipes are fitted with rotating nozzles
through which water is sprayed directly to the crops.
It is mostly practiced in arid and semi arid regions.

Advantages of sprinkler irrigation:

• It conserves water as there is no wastage.
• No loss of water through evaporation or seepage
• Even distribution of water to the fields.
• It can irrigate a large area.

Disadvantages of sprinkler irrigation:

• It is expensive as it requires complex machinery.
• Plant diseases may occur due to overwatering of fields.
• Nozzles may get clogged due to sand and salts in the water.

States where Sprinkler irrigation is practiced: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra