Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Water Resource
Water Facts
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Water Scarcity
Refers as the situation where there is insufficient water to satisfy normal
requirements.
1.2 billion people live in water scarce area
. By 2025- 2 billion live in water scarce area( UNDP report 2003)
. Israel- 25 cm annual rainfall - no scarcity
. India - 114 cm annual rainfall scarcity
. Acc. to Falken Mark, a Swedish expert, water stress occur when water
availability is between 1,000-1600 cubic meter per person per annum.
Reasons
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Dams were traditionally built to impound rivers and rainwater that could be used
to irrigate agricultural fields.
Dams are also built for electricity generation, 22% of electricity generation
For water supply for domestic and industrial uses,
For controlling floods, For eg. in river Damodar ( sorrow of Bengal ), Kosi river
( sorrow of Bihar)
For the purpose of recreation,
For inland navigation and
For fish breeding.
Important dams
1.Mettur- Kaveri
2.Naagarjun Sagar - Krishana
3. Sardar Sarover- Narmada
4. Parvara - Godavari
5. Hirakud - Mahanadi
6. Rihand - Son
7. Tehri- Ganga
8. Bhakra Nangal - Satluj
9. Salal - Chenab
10. Maithon - Damodar
11. Gandhi sagar Chambal
Dams Temples of modern India
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Displacement of people:
i. They results in the large-scale displacement of local communities.
ii. Local people often had to give up their land, livelihood for the nation.
iii. The local people are not benefiting from such projects.
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Create conflicts:
i. The dams create conflicts between people wanting different uses and benefits
from the same water resources.
ii. Inter-state water disputes are also becoming common with regard to sharing
the costs and benefits of the multi-purpose project.
Eg.1 Kaveri dispute between Karnataka and Tamil nadu.
Eg.2 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 ( Krishna) by the Maharashtra government for a multipurpose
project.
Eg.3 In Gujarat, the Sabarmati - basin farmers were agitated and almost
caused riots over the higher priority given water to urban areas.
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ii. It was also observed that the multi-purpose projects induced earthquakes,
Ancient and Medieval Hydraulic Structures in India
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In the first century B.C., Sringaverapura near Allahabad had sophisticated water
harvesting system channelling the flood water of the river Ganga.
The Junagarh rock inscription of Rudradaman says that a dam on Sudarshan
lake
(Gujarat) for irrigation was constructed by Pushyagupta, a provincial governor
of Chandragupta Maurya
Evidences of sophisticated irrigation works have also been found in Kalinga,
(Orissa), Nagarjunakonda (Andhra Pradesh), Bennur (Karnataka), Kolhapur
(Maharashtra), etc.
In the 11th Century, Bhopal Lake ( Bhojtal- constructed by Raja Bhoj) one of the
largest artificial lakes of its time was built ( earthen dam across river Kolan ). Its
surface area was 31 sq. km.)
In the 14th Century, the tank in Hauz Khas, Delhi was constructed by Iltutmish
for supplying water to Siri Fort area.
Rainwater Harvesting
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In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the guls or
kuls ( water from melting of glaciers leads to Kuls ) of the Western Himalayas
for agriculture. A kul leads to a circular village tank from which water is released
as and when required.
Rooftop rain water harvesting was commonly practised to store drinking
water, particularly in Rajasthan.
In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate
their fields.
d.
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 and Johads in other parts of Rajasthan.
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.
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.
Many houses constructed underground rooms adjoining the tanka to beat the
summer heat as it would keep the room cool.
Note:
1
The Bhakra Nangal project on Sutluj-Beas River is used both for hydel power
production and irrigation.
2.
Similarly, the Hirakud project in the Mahanadi basin integrates conservation of
water with flood control.
3.
The troubles faced by people owing to the flooding of Damodar River have given
this river a name as the river of sorrow.
4.
Rain water in Rajasthan is known as palar pani