Revision: Geography (Contemporary India-II) >> Water Resources Social Science English Medium Class 10 CBSE

There is no change in the total quantity of water available on the earth. It remains the same. But the water useful for plants, animals, and man is decreasing day by day. It is called the Scarcity of water.

Water is obtained naturally from ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, icebergs, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and underground is called freshwater.

The collection of rainwater for direct use or for recharging the groundwater level for indirect use is called water harvesting.

• Water resources include surface water (rivers, lakes, ponds) and groundwater (water stored below the earth).
• 97% of Earth’s water is saline (oceans); only 0.03% is available as fresh surface water for direct use.
• Surface water mainly comes from rainfall and melting of glaciers, but is easily polluted.
• Groundwater forms by percolation of rainwater and is stored in aquifers; it is the largest usable freshwater source.
• India depends on monsoon rains, and proper water management is essential for agriculture and economic growth.

• Rising demand for water due to population growth, irrigation and industrialisation has reduced groundwater levels.
• Overexploitation of groundwater leads to a lowering of the water table.
• Loss of vegetation reduces rainfall and increases drought conditions.
• Agriculture uses more than 90% of freshwater, increasing pressure on water resources.
• Pollution of rivers, lakes and groundwater makes water unfit for direct use, increasing water scarcity.