WATER

RESOURCES
GEOGRAPHY – CHAPTER: 3
 WATER AS A RENEWABLE RESOURCE

¾ OF THE EARTH’S SURFACE BUT ONLY A SMALL THIS FRESHWATER IS MAINLY ALL WATER MOVES WITHIN
IS COVERED WITH WATER PROPORTION OF IT OBTAINED FROM SURFACE RUN THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE
ACCOUNTS FOR OFF AND GROUND WATER THAT IS ENSURING THAT WATER IS A
FRESHWATER THAT CAN BE CONTINUALLY BEING RENEWED RENEWABLE RESOURCE
USED AND RECHARGED THROUGH THE
HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE.
 WATER SCARCITY

OUR PERCEPTION OF WATER SCARCITY

•The moment we speak of water shortages, we immediately associate it

with regions having low rainfall or those that are drought prone.
•We instantaneously visualize the deserts of Rajasthan and women
balancing many ‘matkas’ (earthen pots) used for collecting and storing
water and travelling long distances to get water
•Its true that the availability of water resources varies over space and time,
mainly due to the variations in seasonal and annual precipitation.

REALITY

•But water scarcity in most cases is caused by over-exploitation, excessive

use and unequal access to water among different social groups.
REASONS FOR WATER
SCARCITY
Quantitative Aspects
1. GROWING POPULATION

Water scarcity - an outcome of large and

growing population and consequent greater
demands for water, and unequal access to it.

A large population requires more water not

only for domestic use but also to produce
more food.
 2. GROWING DEMAND FOR
FOOD
To facilitate higher food-
grain production, water
resources are being over- Irrigated agriculture is the
exploited to expand largest consumer of water.
irrigated areas for dry-
season agriculture.

Now it is needed to
Most farmers have their own
revolutionize the agriculture
wells and tube-wells in their
through developing drought
farms for irrigation to
resistant crops and dry
increase their produce.
farming techniques.

This led to falling

groundwater levels,
adversely affecting water
availability and food security
of the people.
3. INTENSIVE
INDUSTRIALISATION
 Large industrial houses are as
commonplace as the industrial units of
many MNCs (Multinational Corporations).
 The ever-increasing number of industries
has made matters worse by exerting
pressure on existing freshwater resources.
 Industries, apart from being heavy users of
water, also require power to run them.
 Much of this energy comes from
hydroelectric power.
 Today, in India hydroelectric power
contributes approximately 22 per cent of
the total electricity produced.
 4. URBANISATION
 Multiplying urban centres with large and dense
populations and urban lifestyles have not only
added to water and energy requirements but
have further aggravated the problem.
 Most of the housing societies or colonies in the
cities have their own groundwater pumping
devices to meet their water needs.
 Thus, fragile water resources are being over-
exploited and have caused their depletion in
several of these cities.
REASONS FOR WATER
SCARCITY
QUALITATIVE ASPECTS
BAD QUALITY
OF WATER

 Polluted by domestic and

industrial wastes,
chemicals, pesticides and
fertilisers used in
agriculture, thus, making it
hazardous for human use.
JAL JEEVAN MISSION:
A GOVT. OF INDIA INITIATIVE
 Government of India has accorded highest
priority to improve the quality of life and
enhance ease of living of people especially those
living in rural areas by announcing the Jal Jeevan
Mission (JJM).
 The Goal of JJM is to enable every rural
household get assured supply of potable piped
water at a service level of 55 litres per capita per
day regularly on long-term basis by ensuring
functionality of the tap water connections.
NEED FOR WATER CONSERVATION
AND MANAGEMENT
To safeguard ourselves
To ensure food security
from health hazards

Continuation of our
To prevent degradation of
livelihoods and productive
our natural ecosystems
activities

Over exploitation and

mismanagement of water
resources will impoverish
this resource and cause
ecological crisis that may
have profound impact on
our lives.
HOW DO WE CONSERVE AND MANAGE
WATER?

Archaeological and historical

records show that from ancient
times we have been We have continued this
constructing sophisticated tradition in modern India by
hydraulic structures like dams building dams in most of our
built of stone rubble, reservoirs river basins.
or lakes, embankments and
canals for irrigation.
HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES IN ANCIENT INDIA
HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES IN ANCIENT INDIA
 WHAT ARE DAMS?

 A dam is a barrier across flowing water that

obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often
creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment.
 “Dam” refers to the reservoir rather than the
structure.
 Most dams have a section called a spillway or
weir over which or through which it is intended
that water will flow either intermittently or
continuously.
CLASSIFICATION OF DAMS

Dams are classified according to structure, intended purpose or height.

Based on structure and the materials used, dams are classified as timber
Dams, embankment dams or masonry dams, with several subtypes.

According to the height, dams can be categorised as large dams and major
dams or alternatively as low dams, medium height dams and high dams.
CLASSIFICATION
OF DAMS
MULTIPURPOSE RIVER PROJECTS &
INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT
DAMS – MULTIPURPOSE PROJECTS

 Dams were traditionally built to impound rivers and rainwater that could be used
later to irrigate agricultural fields.
 Today, dams are built not just for irrigation but for electricity generation, water
supply for domestic and industrial uses, flood control, recreation, inland
navigation and fish breeding.
 Hence, dams are now referred to as multi-purpose projects where the many uses
of the impounded water are integrated with one another.
 For example, in the Sutluj-Beas river basin, the Bhakra – Nangal project water is
being used both for hydel power production and irrigation.
 Similarly, the Hirakud project in the Mahanadi basin integrates conservation of
water with flood control.
THE TEMPLES OF MODERN INDIA
Multi-purpose projects, launched after Independence with their
integrated water resources management approach, were thought of
as the vehicle that would lead the nation to development and
progress, overcoming the handicap of its colonial past.

Jawaharlal Nehru proudly proclaimed the dams as the ‘temples of

modern India’

The reason being that it would integrate development of agriculture

and the village economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of
the urban economy.
OPPOSITION FOR MULTIPURPOSE
PROJECTS
 REASONS

1. Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow and
excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir.

• Rockier stream beds

• Poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life
• Dams 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 a period of time.

2. Multi-purpose projects and large dams have also been the cause of many new
environmental movements like the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’
etc.
• Resistance to these projects has primarily been due to the large-scale displacement of local communities.
• Local people often had to give up their land, livelihood and their meagre access and control over resources for the
greater good of the nation.
• Instead of the local people the landowners and large farmers, industrialists and few urban centres benefits
REASONS…
3. Irrigation has also changed the cropping pattern of many regions with farmers shifting to
water intensive and commercial crops.
• This has great ecological consequences like salinisation of the soil.
• At the same time, it has transformed the social landscape i.e. increasing the social gap between the richer landowners
and the landless poor.

4. The dams did create conflicts between people wanting different uses and benefits from the
same water resources.
• In Gujarat, the Sabarmati-basin farmers were agitated and almost caused a riot over the higher priority given to water
supply in urban areas, particularly during droughts.

5. Inter-state water disputes are also becoming common with regard to sharing the costs and
benefits of the multi-purpose project.
• Krishna – Godavari Dispute
• Kaveri Dispute
REASONS…

6. Most of the objections to the projects arose due to their failure to

achieve the purposes for which they were built.
• The dams that were constructed to control floods have triggered floods due to
sedimentation in the reservoir.
• Unsuccessful in controlling floods at the time of excessive rainfall.
• The release of water from dams during heavy rains aggravated the flood situation in
Maharashtra and Gujarat in 2006.
NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF DAMS &MPP

Sedimentation also meant that

The floods - have not only
the flood plains were deprived of
devastated life and property but
silt, a natural fertiliser, further
also caused extensive soil
adding on to the problem of land
erosion.
degradation.

Caused water-borne diseases and

Induced earthquakes pests and pollution resulting from
excessive use of water.
 SARDAR SAROVAR DAM

Sardar Sarovar Dam has been built over the Narmada

River in Gujarat.

This is one of the largest water resource projects of India

covering four states—Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat and Rajasthan.

The Sardar Sarovar project would meet the requirement of

water in drought-prone and desert areas of Gujarat (9,490
villages and 173 towns) and Rajasthan (124 villages).
 NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN

Narmada Bachao Andolan or Save Narmada Movement is a Non Governmental Organisation

(NGO) that mobilised tribal people, farmers, environmentalists and human rights activists
against the Sardar Sarovar Dam being built across the Narmada river in Gujarat.

It originally focused on the environmental issues related to trees that would be submerged
under the dam water.

Recently it has re-focused the aim to enable poor citizens, especially the oustees (displaced
people) to get full rehabilitation facilities from the government.
 NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN…

People felt that their suffering would not be in vain… accepted the trauma of displacement
believing in the promise of irrigated fields and plentiful harvests.

So, often the survivors of Rihand told us that they accepted their sufferings as sacrifice for the
sake of their nation.

But now, after thirty bitter years of being adrift, their livelihood having even being more
precarious, they keep asking: “Are we the only ones chosen to make sacrifices for the nation?”
 KRISHNA-GODAVARI DISPUTE
 The Krishna-Godavari dispute is
due to the objections raised by
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
governments.
 It is regarding the diversion of
more water at Koyna by the
Maharashtra government for a
multipurpose project.
 This would reduce downstream
flow in their states with adverse
consequences for agriculture and
industry.
KAVERI DISPUTE
RAINWATER HARVESTING
RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

 Many thought that given the disadvantages and rising resistance against the
multipurpose projects, water harvesting system was a viable alternative, both
socio-economically and environmentally.
 In ancient India, along with the sophisticated hydraulic structures, there existed
an extraordinary tradition of water-harvesting system.
 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 in keeping with the local ecological conditions and their water needs.
RAINWATER
HARVESTING
SYSTEMS IN INDIA
 In hill and Mountainous Regions,
people built diversion channels
like the ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ of the
Western Himalayas for
agriculture.
RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM IN
INDIA

 In the flood plains of Bengal,

people developed inundation
channels to irrigate their
fields.
 Inundation canal are the
canals that are linked to large
Rivers. Such canals use the
excess water of rivers at the
time of floods and remain
operational during rainy
season. This type of canals are
usually used for irrigation.
RAINWATER
HARVESTING
SYSTEM IN INDIA
 In arid and semi-arid regions, agricultural
fields were converted into rain fed storage
structures that allowed the water to stand
and moisten the soil like the ‘khadins’ in
Jaisalmer (Western Rajasthan) and
‘Johads’ in other parts of Rajasthan.
 Khadin system is based on the principle of
harvesting rainwater on farmland and
subsequent use of this water-saturated
land for crop production

 Johads are tiny earthen check dams that

collect and store rainwater, enhancing
groundwater recharge and percolation.
 RAINWATER HARVESTING
SYSTEM IN INDIA
 In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi and Barmer, almost all
the houses traditionally had underground tanks or tankas for storing drinking water.
 The tanks 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 part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system
and were built inside the main house or the courtyard.
 They were connected to the sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe.
 Rain falling on the rooftops would travel down the pipe and was stored in these
underground ‘tankas’.
 The first spell of rain was usually not collected as this would clean the roofs and the
pipes. The rainwater from the subsequent showers was then collected.
 The rainwater can be stored in the tankas till the next rainfall making it an
extremely reliable source of drinking water when all other sources are dried up,
particularly in the summers.
 Rainwater, or palar pani, as commonly referred to in these parts, is considered the
purest form of natural water. Many houses constructed underground rooms
adjoining the ‘tanka’ to beat the summer heat as it would keep the room cool.
 ROOF TOP RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

 ‘Rooftop rainwater harvesting’ was commonly practiced

to store drinking water, particularly in Rajasthan.
 Rooftop rainwater is collected using a PVC pipe
 Filtered using sand and bricks
 Underground pipe takes water to sump for immediate
usage
 Excess water from the sump is taken to the well
 Water from the well recharges the underground
 Take water from the well (later)
 Today, in western Rajasthan, sadly the practice of rooftop
rainwater harvesting is on the decline as plenty of water
is available due to the perennial Indira Gandhi Canal,
though some houses still maintain the tankas since they
do not like the taste of tap water.
ROOF TOP RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

In many parts of rural and urban India, rooftop rainwater harvesting is being successfully adapted to store
and conserve water.

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.

Nearly 200 households have installed this system and the village has earned the rare distinction of being
rich in rainwater.

Gendathur receives an annual precipitation of 1,000 mm, and with 80 per cent of collection efficiency and
of about 10 fillings, every house can collect and use about 50,000 litres of water annually.

From the 200 houses, the net amount of rainwater harvested annually amounts to 1,00,000 litres.
ROOF TOP RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

Rooftop rainwater harvesting is the most common practice in Shillong, Meghalaya.

It is interesting because Cherapunjee and Mawsynram situated at a distance of 55 km. from Shillong
receive the highest rainfall in the world, yet the state capital Shillong faces acute shortage of water.

Nearly 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.

Tamil Nadu is the first state in India which has made rooftop rainwater harvesting structure compulsory to
all the houses across the state.

There are legal provisions to punish the defaulters.

THANK YOU