Mastering Water Resources: Essential Questions and Answers for Class 10

Preparing for your Class 10 exams and need important questions and answers on Class 10 Geography Chapter 3 Water Resources? Look no further! This comprehensive guide will provide you with all the information you need to ace your exams and gain a thorough understanding of water resources.

Subject	Social Science (Geography)
Class	10
Board	CBSE
Chapter No.	3
Chapter Name	Water Resources
Type	Important Questions & Answers
Session	2023-24
Weightage	04 marks

"Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or the same way."

Water Resources Class 10 Geography Important Questions with Answers

Q. No. 1) Rooftop rainwater harvesting was commonly practiced to store drinking water, particularly in __________.

Ans. Rajasthan.

Q. No. 2) Which place in India has an artificial lake to conserve water that dates to the 11th century?

a. Delhi

b. Bhopal

c. Mumbai

d. Kolhapur

Ans. Option (b)

Q. No. 3) Explain how water becomes a renewable resource.

Ans. Freshwater is mainly obtained from surface runoff and groundwater that is continually being renewed and rechanged through the hydrological cycle. All water moves within the hydrological cycle ensuring that water is a renewable resource.

Q. No. 4) Why does the availability of water resources vary over space and time?

Ans. The availability of water resources varies over space and time, mainly due to the variations in seasonal and annual precipitation.

Q. No. 5) Which state has a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo pipes?

Ans. Meghalaya.

Q. No. 6) Multipurpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny and opposition. Explain with reason.

Ans. Multipurpose projects and large dams have come under great scrutiny and opposition because:

• Regulating and damming rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.
• Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for spawning.
• The dams have triggered floods due to sedimentation in the reservoir and the release of excess water during heavy rains.
• Multipurpose projects induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases, and pests, and lead to pollution resulting from excessive use of water.

Q. No. 7) How is agriculture responsible for creating stress on water resources? Suggest any one solution for it.

Ans. Agriculture is responsible for creating stress on water resources in the following ways:

• To facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources are being over-exploited to expand irrigated areas for dry-season agriculture.
• Irrigated agriculture is the largest consumer of water.
• Most farmers have their own wells and tube wells on their farms for irrigation to increase their productivity. This lead to falling groundwater levels, adversely affecting water availability and food security of the people.

Q. No. 8) What are the diversion channels of the Western Himalayas called?

Ans. Guls or Kuls.

Q. No. 9) Case-Based Question:

Maharashtra is a state located in western India, with a population of over 110 million people. The state is home to several large cities, including Mumbai, and has a significant agricultural sector. However, the state is facing a severe water crisis, with its water resources coming under increasing pressure due to climate change, industrialization, and urbanization. The main challenges faced by water resource management in Maharashtra are:
I. Overexploitation of groundwater: Maharashtra is one of the most groundwater-stressed states in India, with the demand for water exceeding the supply. Overexploitation of groundwater for agriculture and urban use has led to a decline in water levels, which has severe implications for the sustainability of water
resources.
II. Pollution of surface water: Industrialization and urbanization have led to the pollution of surface water bodies such as rivers and lakes. The pollution has led to water quality degradation, which poses risks to human health and the environment.
III. Inefficient irrigation practices: The agricultural sector is the largest user of water in Maharashtra, accounting for around 80% of total water use. However, traditional irrigation practices such as flood irrigation are inefficient and lead to the wastage of water.

i. Mention any two reasons for the water crisis faced by the state of Maharashtra.

Ans. Two reasons for Maharashtra facing a water crisis are over-exploitation of groundwater and pollution of surface water bodies due to industrialization and urbanization.

ii. Despite being the second-highest rainfall-receiving state of the country, Maharashtra still faces a water crisis. Substantiate this statement in 40 words.

Ans. Despite receiving the second-highest rainfall in the country, traditional irrigation practices like flood irrigation leading to water shortages in Maharashtra. This is because flood irrigation involves excessive water use, and the water gets lost due to runoff, leading to less water available for other uses.

iii. Propose any one solution to mitigate the water crisis faced by Maharashtra state.

Ans:

• To mitigate the water crisis in Maharashtra, one solution could be to promote the adoption of more efficient irrigation practices, such as drip irrigation and sprinkler systems, that use less water and are more targeted in their delivery.
• The state can also use a rainwater harvesting system to improve groundwater levels along the western side of the Western Ghats which receive maximum rainfall. This will increase the efficiency of water use in the state of Maharashtra.

Q. No. 10) Intensive industrialization and urbanization exerted pressure on existing freshwater resources. Justify the statement with suitable examples.

Ans. Intensive industrialization and urbanization have exerted pressure on existing freshwater resources:

• Post-independent India witnessed intensive industrialization and urbanization.
• 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% of the total electricity produced.
• Multiplying urban centers with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles has not only added to water and energy requirements but has further aggravated the problem.
• Most of the housing societies or colonies in the cities have their own groundwater pumping devices, which result in the over-exploitation of fragile water resources.

Q. No. 11) On which river Bhakra-Nangal Dam has been constructed?

Ans. Sutluj.

Q. No. 12) The Hirakud project in the ________ basin integrated the conservation of water with flood control.

Ans. Mahanadi.

Q. No. 13) How are multipurpose projects and large dams the cause of social movements?

Ans. Multipurpose projects and large dams are the cause of social movements:

• Multi-purpose projects and large dams have been the cause of many new environmental movements like the ‘Narmada Bachao Andolan’ and the ‘Tehri Dam Andolan’.
• 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 meager access and control over resources for the greater good of the nation.
• But these local people are not benefited much from these projects. The benefited ones are the landowners and large farmers, industrialists, and a few urban centers.

Q. No. 14) Who proclaimed dams as the temples of modern India? Why?

Ans. Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed the dams as the ‘Temples of modern India’ because

• They integrate the development of agriculture and the village economy with rapid industrialization and growth of the urban economy.
• They provide water for irrigation.
• They provide water for electricity generation
• Provide water supply for domestic and industrial uses.
• Helps in flood control.
• Provide recreation
• Helps in inland navigation.
• Useful for fish breeding.

Q. No. 15) What is the need for rainwater harvesting?

Ans. The need for rainwater harvesting are:

• Rainwater harvesting is needed to provide it for agriculture, collect drinking water, irrigate the fields, and to moisten the soil.
• Rainwater harvesting is a viable alternative, both socio-economically and environmentally to multipurpose projects.

Q. No. 16) What is a multipurpose river valley project? Mention any four objectives of it.

Ans. A project where many uses of the impounded water are integrated with one another is known as a multipurpose project. It is built for –

• Irrigation
• Electricity generation
• Water supply for domestic and industrial uses
• Flood control
• Recreation
• Inland navigation
• Fish breeding.

Q. No. 17) What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?

Ans. Water scarcity is the lack of freshwater resources to meet the demands of water usage within a region.

Main causes of water scarcity:

• Water scarcity in most cases is caused by over-exploitation, excessive use, and unequal access to water among different social groups.
• Water scarcity may be an outcome of a large and growing population and consequent greater demands for water and unequal access to it.
• To facilitate higher food-grain production, water resources are being over-exploited to expand irrigated areas for dry-season agriculture.
• Intensive industrialization and urbanization exerted pressure on existing freshwater resources.
• Even if water is sufficiently available to meet the needs of the people, much of it is maybe polluted by domestic and industrial wastes, chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers used in agriculture, thus causing water scarcity.

Q. No. 18) Explain the working of underground tanks as a part of the rooftop rainwater harvesting system practiced in Rajasthan.

Or,

What do you understand by Palar Pani? How Palar Pani is collected?

Ans. Rainwater is commonly referred to as Palar Pani in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan.

• In the semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi, and Barmer, almost all the houses traditionally had underground tanks for storing drinking water.
• The tanks could be as large as a big room.
• The tanks were part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system.
• They were connected to the sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe.
• Rain falling on the rooftops would travel down the pipe and be stored in these underground tanks.
• 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.

Q. No. 19) Analyze the importance of rooftop rainwater harvesting in Rajasthan.

Ans. Importance of rooftop rainwater harvesting in Rajasthan:

• It was commonly practiced to store drinking water.
• The rainwater can be stored in the tanks 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 (Palar Pani) is considered the purest form of natural water.
• Many houses construct underground rooms adjoining the ‘tanks’ to beat the summer heat as it would keep the room cool.
• Some houses still maintain the tanks since they do not like the taste of tap water.

Q. No. 20) Describe any three traditional methods of rainwater harvesting adopted in different parts of India.

Ans. Traditional methods of rainwater harvesting:

• In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ of the Western Himalayas for agriculture.
• ‘Rooftop rainwater harvesting’ was commonly practiced to store drinking water, particularly in Rajasthan.
• In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate their fields.
• In semi-arid and 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.

Q. No. 21) Compare the advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose river valley projects.

Ans. Advantages:

• They provide water for irrigation.
• They provide water for electricity generation
• Provide water supply for domestic and industrial uses.
• Helps in flood control.
• Provide recreation
• Helps in inland navigation.
• Useful for fish breeding.

Disadvantages:

• Regulating and damming of rivers affect their natural flow causing poor sediment flow and excessive sedimentation at the bottom of the reservoir, resulting in rockier stream beds and poorer habitats for the rivers’ aquatic life.
• Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate, especially for spawning.
• The dams have triggered floods due to sedimentation in the reservoir and the release of excess water during heavy rains.
• Multipurpose projects induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases, and pests, and lead to pollution resulting from excessive use of water.
• Irrigation has changed the cropping pattern of many regions with farmers shifting to water-intensive and commercial crops. This has great ecological consequences like salinization of the soil.
• The dams increase the social gap between the richer landowners and the landless poor.
• The dams create inter-state water disputes with regard to sharing the costs and benefits of the multi-purpose project.

Q. No. 22) What is Bamboo Drip Irrigation? Mention any two features of it.

Ans. The Bamboo Drip Irrigation system is a 200-year-old system of tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo pipes and transporting water from higher to lower regions with the help of gravity.

Features:

• 18-20 liters of water enter the bamboo pipe system, gets transported over hundreds of meters, and finally reduces to 20-80 drops per minute at the site of the plant.
• The flow of water into the pipes is controlled by manipulating the pipe positions.
• If the pipes pass a road, they are taken high above the land.

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