
	Trending ▼ ICSE CBSE 10th ISC CBSE 12th CTET GATE UGC NET Vestibulares ResFinder

ICSE 10th Notes : Geography : Water Resources

6 pages, 12 questions, 0 questions with responses, 0 total responses,

Cbox
Ryan International School ICSE (RIS), Malad, Mumbai

+Fave Message

Profile Timeline Uploads

Home > cbox >

Formatting page ...

WATER RESOURCES Water is an important natural resource. It is the basic need of human beings and considered as the wealth of a nation. Water is needed for irrigation, generation of power, industries, domestic use, navigation, fisheries and recreational purposes. The use of water resources is not new to humankind. The development of water resources is very essential to satisfy the needs of growing population and as a natural resource, its judicious conservation is required. Now a days rain water harvesting is given due importance. The chief sources of surface water are rivers and lakes. The underground water sources are wells and springs. The availability of water varies from place to place and from time to time. India depends on rainfall and snowfall for surface water and underground water. Rainfall in India is uncertain, unevenly distributed and seasonal. Therefore, to carry on agriculture, India depends on canals, tanks and wells. They are very essential wherever the water is scarce. This method of supplying water artificially for agriculture is called irrigation. Irrigation is very important in India agriculture is the main occupation of the people and rainfall is insufficient. One of the greatest achievements in the history of agriculture is the practice of irrigation. The perennial rivers of North India and the underground water resources of the Great Plains of the north have helped in the development of irrigation. TYPES OF IRRIGATION: Different regions have different types of irrigation, depending upon the source of water. The distribution of rainfall, relief features and the requirement of water for different crops are the factors affecting the practice of different types of irrigation. The major types of irrigation practised in India are:1) Well irrigation, 2) Tank irrigation, 3) Canal irrigation. WELL IRRIGATION: It is the most important type of irrigation in India. It provides water to large areas of cultivated land. It is most suitable for Indian agriculture because this system of irrigation can be adopted even in areas where rainfall is scanty. For the construction of wells, huge capital and technology are not required. Irrigation is possible throughout the year. For small landholders, this type of irrigation is easily accessible. Because of these reasons, well irrigation is largely practised to-day. There are two types of wells, namely, open wells and tube wells. Water is lifted from open wells through manual power or with the help of diesel or electric pumpsets. But the tube wells are usually fitted with electric pumps for lifting water. Well irrigation is very important in India. It accounts for 51.2% of the total irrigated area in India. To develop well irrigation, the government provides loans to our farmers at lower rate of interest. Well irrigation is mostly practised in the North Indian Plains and the eastern coastal plains. Uttar Pradesh accounts for 28.6 % of the total well irrigated area. Apart from this, Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have also developed well irrigation. TANK IRRIGATION: It is practised in India since ancient times. Under this system, bunds are constructed across small streams, water is stored and supplied to agriculture through small canals. This type of irrigation is mostly practised in South India because the peninsular plateau is suitable for the construction of tanks. Tank irrigation is found in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. Only 8% of the total irrigated land is under tank irrigation. Two tanks constructed during 8th century A.D. in Chingalpet district of Tamilnadu are still in use. There are a few problems with regard to tank irrigation. They are: (1) Tanks mostly depend on rain water. They are filled with water only during the rainy season and became dry during summer when water is most needed (2) Silt accumulates in tanks and desilting becomes necessary. In Karnataka, desilting of tanks is being has been carried out. CANAL IRRIGATION: Canal irrigation is mostly practised in North India where perennial rivers flow. India has the largest network of irrigation canals. 39% of the total irrigated area is covered by canal irrigation. The flat surface of North India, perennial rivers, vast agricultural land, have become important factors for the development of canal irrigation. The construction and maintenance of canals requires huge capital, hence they are under the control of the government. There are two types of canals. They are non-perennial (inundation) canals and perennial canals. Dams are constructed across the rivers in the perennial canals. They store water in reservoirs and provide it for agriculture through canals. Canals taken out directly from the rivers are called non-perennial canals. In India, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra have canal irrigation. Uttar Pradesh has the largest network of irrigation canals. MULTI-PURPOSE RIVER VALLEY PROJECTS: India has undertaken the construction of multi-purpose river valley projects for the maximum utilisation of water resources. The main purpose of these projects are: (1) they provide for irrigation (2) they help to generate hydro-electric power, (3) they control floods, (4) they prevent soil erosion, (5) they help to develop fisheries, (6) they provide inland navigation (7) they provide water for industries, (8) they provide recreational facilities and water for domestic use and (9) they also help afforestation. In India there are 162 major and 240 medium size and 74 small size river valley projects. IMPORTANT MULTI-PURPOSE PROJECTS 1. Damodar River Valley Project: This was the first multipurpose project constructed after Independence. It was a joint venture of former Bihar and West Bengal states. River Damodar rises in the Chotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand. But its floods caused a lot of destruction in West Bengal. It was called the Sorrow of Bengal . The objectives of this project were to control floods, provide navigation, hydro-electricity, fish culture, recreational facilities afforestation and prevention of soil erosion. It has 2,495 km. length of canals and 4.5 lakh hectares of land under irrigation. Dams are constructed across river Damodar and its tributaries at Tilaya, Konar, Maithon and Panchet hill. Thermal power stations are constructed at Bokaro, Chandrapur and Durgapur. Jharkhand and West Bengal benefit from this project. 2. Bhakra-Nangal Project: It is the highest multi-purpose river valley project of India. It is a joint venture of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Dams are constructed across the river Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh at Bhakra and Nangal. Bhakra dam is 226 mts. high and is the highest dam in Asia. The canals of this project are 3,402 kms. long and provide irrigation to 14.6 lakh hectares of land. Delhi and Himachal Pradesh also get irrigation water and hydro-electric power. The reservoir which is created is called Govind Sagar . 3. Kosi Project: The main objective of this project is to control floods. Kosi was called the "sorrow of Bihar". It is a joint venture of India and Nepal. It is constructed across the river Kosi at Hanuman Nagar on the borders of India and Nepal, it provides irrigation to about 8.75 lakh hectares of land. 50 % of the hydro-electricity produced by this project is supplied to Nepal. 4. The Hirakud Project: Flood control, irrigation and production of hydro-electricity are the main purposes of this project. This project is constructed across the river Mahanadi at a distance of 10 kms. from Sambalpur in Orissa. River Mahanadi was called the Sorrow of Orissa . The Hirakud project has the longest dam in India with a length of 4,801 mts. It irrigates almost 2.54 lakh hectares of land. The states of Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh are provided with irrigation and hydro-electricity. 5. Tungabhadra Project: The main purposes of this project are irrigation and generation of hydro-electricity. It is a joint venture of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This dam is constructed across the river Tungabhadra near Hospet in Bellary district of Karnataka. The reservoir is called Pampa Sagara . It provides irrigation to about 5.5 lakh hectares of land in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and also supplies hydro-electricity. 6. Nagarjuna Sagar Project: This dam is constructed across river Krishna near Nandikonda village in Andhra Pradesh. It is the largest multi-purpose river valley project in India. The main purposes of this project are to provide irrigation and generation of hydroelectricity. It irrigates almost 8.30 lakh hectares of land. 7. Chambal Project: It is a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The main purposes of this project are to prevent soil erosion, generate hydro-electricity and provide irrigation. Three reservoirs are constructed. They supply water to about 5.60 lakh hectares of land in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. 8. Upper Krishna Project: It is an irrigation project of Bagalkot and Gulburga districts of Karnataka. It is constructed across the river Krishna near Almatti in Bagalkot district. It aims at providing irrigation to 1.43 lakh hectares of land in Bijapur, Raichur, Bagalkot and Gulbarga districts. Another dam is constructed across river Krishna at Narayanpur in Gulbarga district. 9. Narmada River Valley Project: The idea of constructing a dam across the river Narmada was initiated even during the British period. The irrigation committee of 1901 announced the construction of a project across river Narmada but somehow it did not materialise during the British period. In 1961, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, laid the foundation for the construction of a dam at Bharut. But from the beginning, this project has faced a lot of opposition and in 1969 the river water tribunal was appointed to settle the disputes between Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat over the distribution of water from this project. The Narmada project which consists of 23 dams includes Sardar Sarovar, Narmada Sagar and Narmada upper project. On completion, these dams will provide irrigation and hydro-electricity to North Gujarat, Saurashtra and some parts of Maharashtra. In addition to these projects there are many other irrigation projects. In Karnataka state, the important projects are Ghataprabha, Bhadra, Kali and Malaprabha. There are many projects in India with the main objective of providing irrigation. POWER GENERATING PROJECTS There are some projects which are meant only for the generation of power. The largest hydro-electric potential is along the Himalayas from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. The snowfed and rainfed rivers have plenty of water. The relief features of this area are quite suitable for the generation of power. The second region is along the Western Ghats. This region gets heavy rainfall and it has rugged relief. The plateaus of peninsular India also have favourable relief and wherever water is sufficient, hydel power is generated. The prominent hydel power generating stations are Sileru in Andhra Pradesh, Dhuvaran in Gujarat, Shabarigiri and Idukki in Kerala, Koyna in Maharashtra and Sharavathi, Chakra and Kalinadi projects in Karnataka. FISHERIES: India has vast water bodies where fish can be reared and used for food. India is surrounded by water bodies on three sides and it has a wide continental shelf, active ocean currents and deposition of sediments by the rivers which provide a rich breeding ground for fish. To increase its marine fish catch, India needs big mechanized fishing boats and vessels. It also needs improved landing and berthing facilities. Another requirement is cold storage and processing facilities for marine products. India has many rivers, canals and lakes which can be rich sources of fish. Fishing is also one of the aims of multi-purpose projects. WATER POLLUTION: Water resource is very important and is required for industries, agriculture, fishing and domestic purposes. We should take care to see that water is not wasted and also to see that our water sources are not polluted. Very often industrial waste is pumped into rivers and seas, thus causing pollution. For example many industries on the banks of river Ganges have polluted it. The Central Ganga Authority was set up by the Government of India for checking the flow of pollutants and sewage into the river Ganges. All the rivers, reservoirs and lakes of India are faced with pollution.

Formatting page ...

cbox chat

Horizontal lines at:
Guest Horizontal lines at:
AutoRM Data:
Box geometries: