Q1. Based on the information given below classify each of the situations as 'suffering from water scarcity' or 'not suffering from water scarcity'.
(a) Region with high annual rainfall.
Ans: Not suffering from water scarcity.

(b) Region having high annual rainfall and large population.
Ans: Not suffering from water scarcity.

(c) Region having high annual rainfall but water is highly polluted.
Ans: Suffering from water scarcity.

(d) Region having low rainfall and low population.
Ans: Suffering from water scarcity.

Q2. Which one of the following statements is not an argument in favour of multipurpose river projects?
(a) Multi-purpose projects bring water to those areas which suffer from water scarcity.
(b) Multi-purpose projects by regulating water flow helps to control floods.
(c) Multi-purpose projects lead to large scale displacements and loss of livelihood.
(d) Multi-purpose projects generate electricity for our industries and our homes.
Ans: (c) Multi-purpose projects lead to large scale displacements and loss of livelihood.

Q3. Here are some false statements. Identify the mistakes and rewrite them correctly.
(a) Multiplying urban centre's with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles have helped in proper utilization of water resources.
Ans: Multiplying urban centre's with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles have resulted in overexploitation of water resources.

(b) Regulating and damming of rivers does not affect the river's natural flow and its sediment flow.
Ans: Regulating and damming of rivers affect the river's natural flow and its sediment flow.

(c) In Gujarat, the Sabarmati basin farmers were not agitated when higher priority was given to water supply in urban areas, particularly during droughts.
Ans: In Gujarat, the Sabarmati basin farmers were agitated when higher priority was given to water supply in urban areas, particularly during droughts.

(d) Today in Rajasthan, the practice of rooftop rainwater harvesting has gained popularity despite high water availability due to the Rajasthan Canal.

Ans: Today in Rajasthan, the practice of rooftop rainwater harvesting has declined in popularity because of high water availability due to the Rajasthan Canal.

Q4. Explain how water becomes a renewable resource.
Ans: Three-fourth of the earth's surface is covered with water, but only a small proportion of it is freshwater that can be used. This freshwater is mainly obtained from surface run off and ground water that is continually being renewed and recharged through the hydrological cycle or the water cycle. In this cycle majorly three processes that takes place, i.e. Evaporation, condensation and precipitation. The process of water cycle is never ending thus making water a renewable resource.

Q5. What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?
Ans: Scarcity of water means shortage of water or in other words imbalance between demand and supply. Main causes for water scarcity are:
(a) Overpopulation.
(b) Urbanization.
(c) Industrialization.
(d) Increase in agricultural production.
(e) Over-exploitation and mismanagement of water.
(f) Water Pollution.
(g) Variation in the seasonal and annual precipitation.

Q6. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose river projects.
Ans:

Q7. Discuss how rainwater harvesting in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan is carried out.
Ans: In the semi-arid regions of Rajasthan every house has built underground tankas to store rain water. These tankas are large and deep in size. Rainwater from rooftop will come down with the help of pipes and is collected in the tankas. The rainwater is stored so that it could be used for drinking during the dry season.

Q8. Describe how modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being carried out to conserve and store water.
Ans: Rainwater harvesting means collecting of rain water. In this modern era several low cost techniques are available for rainwater harvesting. In many parts of rural and urban places in India rooftop rainwater harvesting has been adopted and it has been a great success. In places like Shillong, Meghalya nearly 15-25% of the total water requirement of household comes from rooftop rainwater harvesting. Tamil Nadu became the first state where rooftop rain water harvesting is made compulsory. In Gendathur a village in Karnataka nearly 200 houses have installed the rooftop rainwater harvesting system to meet their water needs.
Thus, in the modern time where the entire world is facing scarcity of water, rainwater harvesting system is helping the people to resolve the issue of water scarcity.

 

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Objectives and Goals:
1. Define Water as a Resource.
2. Water: Some facts and figures.
3. What is Water Scarcity?
4. Water Resource Management and Conservation.
5. Multipurpose river dam projects.
6. Advantages and disadvantages of Multipurpose River dam projects.
7. Narmada Bachao Andolan.
8. Irrigation leads to change in cropping pattern.
9. Rain water harvesting.
10. Bamboo drip irrigation system.

 

Water - Some Facts and Figures:
1. Out of total volume of water on earth; 96.5% exists in oceans and seas.
2. About 2.5% of total water is available as freshwater.
3. 70% of total freshwater is present as frozen ice in icebergs and glaciers.
4. A little less than 30% of total freshwater is stored as groundwater.
5. India receives about 4% of global precipitation.
6. India ranks 133rd in the world in terms of water availability per person per annum.
7. The total renewable water resources in India are estimated at 1,897 sq km per annum.
8. It is predicted that large parts of India will join regions with absolute water scarcity; by 2025.

 

Water Scarcity:
Water scarcity is the lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of water usage within a region.
1. Overexploitation of water, excessive use and unequal access to water among different social groups are the main causes of water scarcity.
2. Large population needs ever more water.
3. Large scale farming needs lot of water for irrigation.
4. 4. Rapid Urbanization and Industrialization.
5. Demand has been increasing but the process of natural recharge of groundwater has suffered because of several reasons.
(a) Large scale deforestation has disturbed the natural recharge of groundwater at many places.
(b) Construction of concrete buildings, factories and roads has also made the ground less impervious to rainwater. This has almost totally stopped the percolation of Rainwater to recharge groundwater.
6. Excess use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides has contaminated groundwater at many places. The contamination is at such a high level that water has become unfit for human consumption.
7. Sewage and effluents are being discharged into rivers and ponds; without being treated. This has turned most of the rivers into filthy drains.

 

MULTI-PURPOSE RIVER PROJECTS

Water Resource Management:
• India had a long tradition of building various structures to manage water resources. Irrigation systems were built as early as during the Mauryan Empire.
• At present, many multipurpose dam projects have been built in India.
• These dams serve many purposes. For e.g.:
   (a) They prevent flood by checking the flow of water.
   (b) The water from the dams is used through a system of canals to irrigate far flung areas.
   (c) Dams are also used for electricity generation.
   (d) Drinking water is also supplied from the dams.
• But dams have caused a lot of people being displaced from their ancestral lands.
• Additionally, a vast area of land gets submerged in the catchment area of dam.

• This results in large scale environmental consequences.
• Due to these reasons, many groups have begun protesting against building of large dams. "Narmada Bachao Andolan", "Tehri Dam Andolan", etc. are examples of such movements.
• 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.

 

Rainwater Harvesting:
• Most of the rainwater just flows off without seeping down the ground.
• This can be prevented by using rainwater harvesting.
• Rainwater can be collected for future use or can be channelized to recharge groundwater.
• Rooftop rainwater harvesting is ideal to be applied at small scale.
• Many infrastructure projects; like Metro rail and flyovers have also started making provisions for rainwater harvesting.

 

Some of the methods used for Rainwater Harvesting:

(a) In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the 'Guls' or 'Kuls' of the Western Himalayas for agriculture.
(b) 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.
(c) Rooftop rainwater harvesting was commonly practiced to store drinking water, particularly in Rajasthan. Roof top rain water harvesting is the most common practice in Shillong,
(e) In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed barrage channels to irrigate their fields.
(f) Bamboo drip irrigation system is a 200 year old system of tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo pipe. Bamboo drip irrigation system is practiced in Meghalaya.

 

Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting:

(a) 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.
(b) 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.
(c) 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'.
(d) The first spell of rain was usually not collected as this would clean the roofs and the pipes.
(e) The rainwater from the subsequent showers was then collected.
(f) 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.
(g) Rainwater, or Palar Pani, as commonly referred to in these parts, is considered the purest form of natural water.
(h) Many houses constructed underground rooms adjoining the 'tanka' to beat the summer heat as it would keep the room cool.

 

Important facts of Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting:

(a) In western Rajasthan, sadly the practice of rooftop rainwater harvesting is on the decline as plenty of water is available due to the perennial Rajasthan Canal, though some houses still maintain the tankas since they do not like the taste of tap water.
(b) In Gendathur, remote backward villages in Mysore, 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 20 houses, the net amount of rainwater harvested annually amounts to
1,00,000 litres.
(c) Tamil Nadu is the first state in India which has made roof top rainwater harvesting structure compulsory to all the houses across the state. There are legal provisions to punish the defaulters.
(d) Roof top rain water 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 roof top rain water harvesting structure. Nearly 15-25 per cent of the total water requirement of the household comes from roof top water harvesting.

 

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Q1. How human activities have affected the depletion of flora and fauna?

Q2. What steps have been taken by the government towards conservation of wildlife? Give any 3 points.

Q3. Why forest and wildlife conservation is essential?

Q4. Why Himalayan yew trees are under great threat?

Q5. Who owns the forests and wildlife resources in India? Explain the distribution of various types of forests as classified by the Forest Management (Department).

Q6. Attempts and classification of plants and animals given by IUCN.

Q7. Analyze the various factors responsible for decline in India's biodiversity.

Q8. India has diverse flora and fauna. Explain.

Q9. Explain-
       (a) Project Tiger
       (b) Joint Forest Management
       (c) Project Rhino

Q10. Map Skills
      (a) India's Wildlife Sanctuaries
      (b) Bio-Reserves
      (c) Zoological Parks

 

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Q1. Which of these statements is not a valid reason for the depletion of flora and fauna?
(a) Agricultural expansion.
(b) Large scale developmental projects.
(c) Grazing and fuel wood collection.
(d) Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization.
Ans: (c) Grazing and fuel wood collection.

Q2. Which of the following conservation strategies do not directly involve community participation?
(a) Joint forest management
(b) Chipko Movement
(c) Beej Bachao Andolan
(d) Demarcation of Wildlife sanctuaries
Ans: (d) Demarcation of Wildlife sanctuaries.

Q3. Match the following animals with their category of existence.

Animals / Plants                                      Category of Existence
1. Black Buck                                                  (a) Extinct
2. Asiatic Elephants                                          (b) Rare
3. Andaman Wild Pig                                       (c) Endangered
4. Himalayan Brown Bear                                (d) Vulnerable
5. Pink Head Duck                                          (e) Endemic

Ans:
1. Black Buck                                                  (c) Endangered
2. Asiatic Elephants                                          (d) Vulnerable
3. Andaman Wild Pig                                       (e) Endemic
4. Himalayan Brown Bear                                (b) Rare
5. Pink Head Duck                                          (a) Extinct

Q4. Match the following.

1. Reserved Forests           (a) Other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities.
2. Protected Forests           (b) Forests are regarded as most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources.
3. Unclassed Forests          (c) Forest lands are protected from any further depletion.

Ans:
1. Reserved Forests          (b) Forests are regarded as most valuable as far as the conservation of forest and wildlife resources.
2. Protected Forests         (c) Forest lands are protected from any further depletion.
3. Unclassed Forests        (a) Other forests and wastelands belonging to both government and private individuals and communities.

Q5. What is biodiversity? Why is biodiversity important for human lives?
Ans: Biodiversity refers to the variety of flora and fauna that exist in a given geographical area. No specie can survive alone. Thus, all the species on this earth lives in an ecosystem and all are dependent on various biotic and abiotic factors. Similarly, Human beings also depend on various biotic and abiotic factors for their survival. Directly human beings may be interacting with only few species but indirectly we depend on many other species to make our life more comfortable. Thus, biodiversity is very important for human life.

Q6. How have human activities affected the depletion of flora and fauna? Explain.
Ans: Following are the human activity that has affected the depletion of flora and fauna:
(a) Rapid Industrialization and Urbanization.
(b) Expansion of Railways
(c) Agricultural expansion.
(d) Commercial and Scientific Forestry
(e) Large scale developmental projects (i.e. Construction of river valley, etc.).
(f) Mining Activities, etc.

Q7. Describe how communities have conserved and protected forests and wildlife in India?
Ans: On one hand human beings are responsible for the depletion of natural and wildlife and on the other many communities have taken the initiatives to conserve and protect our forests and wildlife in India. Following are few of the examples:
(a) The Bishnoi tribes of Rajasthan have a played a significant role in protecting Black Buck, Nilgai and Peacocks.
(b) The Chipko movement is another example; women's of Chamoli village in Uttarakhand saved the forest just by hugging the trees.
(c) Many states have launched the Joint Forest Management Programme to involve local communities in the management and restoration of degraded forests. Odisha was the first state to launch this programme.
(d) The inhabitants of five villages in the Alwar district in Rajasthan have declared about 1200 hectares of forest area as the "Bhairodev Dakav Sonchuri". In this forest area hunting is not allowed.

Q8. Write a note on good practices towards conserving forest and wildlife.
Ans: Conservation of forest and wildlife is need of the hour. It is a joint efforts of the people, Government Bodies, Local Authorities, NGO's, Forest Management, etc. to preserve and protect forest and wildlife. The government should formulate rules and regulations and provide system and machinery to implement conservation programmes.
All conservation programmes should be people friendly, ecofriendly and economically acceptable. Forest areas are the habitats of the local communities and tribal people, thus all the programmes initiated by the government should not be at the cost of the destruction of forests and livelihoods of these people. A coordinated effort by all the stakeholders will give better results and we will have a better and healthier world for our survival.

 

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Q1. Which one of the following is an example of Biotic Resource:
(a) Rock
(b) Mountain
(c) Mineral
(d) Flora

Q2. Resource which can be renewed again are:
(a) National Resource
(b) Potential Resource
(c) Renewable Resources
(d) Stock

Q3. In which year was the Earth Summit held?
(a) 1990
(b) 1991
(c) 1992
(d) 1993

Q4. How much percentage of land is plain in India?
(a) 41 %
(b) 45%
(c) 43%
(d) 47%

Q5. They are Gifts of Nature which satisfy Human wants:
(a) A Commodity
(b) A Thing
(c) Resources
(d) None of Them

Q6. Which one of the following resources can be acquired by a Nation?
(a) Potential resources
(b) International resources
(c) National resources
(d) Public resources

Q7. How much percentage of forest area in the country according to the National Forest Policy?
(a) 33%
(b) 37%
(c) 27%
(d) 31%

Q8. Which one of the following statements refers to the sustainable development?
(a) Overall development of various resources.
(b) Development should take place without damaging the environment.
(c) Economic development of people.
(d) Development that meets the desires of the members of all communities.

Q9. Coal, iron ore, petroleum, diesel etc. are the examples of
(a) Biotic resources
(b) Abiotic resources
(c) Renewable resources
(d) Non Renewable resources

Q10. Which one of the following is the main cause of land degradation in Bihar?
(a) Mining
(b) Overgrazing
(c) Deforestation
(d) Floods

Q11. Land degradation due to over irrigation can be seen in the states of:
(a) Punjab and Haryana
(b) Assam
(c) Orissa
(d) Mizoram

Q12. Which one of the following is an example of non- renewable resources
(a) Solar Energy
(b) Tidal Energy
(c) Petroleum
(d) Hydel Energy

Q13. On the Basis of ownership resources can be classified into:
(a) Two Types
(b) Three Types
(c) Four Types
(d) None of Them

Q14. "There is enough for everybody's need and not for any body's greed". Who said this?
(a) Atal Bihari Vajpai
(b) Sunder Lal Bahuguna
(c) Jawahar Lal Nehru
(d) M K Gandhi

Q15. Soil is a:
(a) Renewable Resource
(b) Potential Resource
(c) Non- Resource
(d) None of them

Q16. Which one of the following is the main cause of land and water pollution in India in recent years?
(a) Industrial Effluents
(b) Chemical Fertilizer
(c) Deforestation
(d) None of them

Q17. Which one of the following term is used to identify the old and new alluvial respectively?
(a) Khadas & Tarai
(b) Tarai & Bangar
(c) Bangar & Khadar
(d) Tarai & Dvars

Q18. Which one of the following soil is the best for cotton cultivation?
(a) Red soil
(b) Black soil
(c) Laterite soil
(d) Alluvial soil

Q19. Which type of soil develops due to high temperature and evaporation?
(a) Arid Soil
(b) Forest Soil
(c) Black Soil
(d) Red Soil

Q20. Which one of the following is responsible for sheet erosion?
(a) Underground water
(b) Wind
(c) Glacier
(d) Water

Q21. Khader is a type of
(a) Black Soil
(b) Alluvial Soil
(c) Lattrite Soil
(d) Desert Soil

Q22. Which Soil is known as Black Cotton soil?
(a) Red Soil
(b) Arid Soil
(c) Mountain Soil
(d) Regur Soil

Q23. Soil can be Conserved by:
(a) Cutting of Trees
(b) Over Grazing
(c) Planting of Trees
(d) Excessive mining

Q24. Which one of the following method is used to break up the force of wind?
(a) Shelter belt
(b) Mulching
(c) Contour ploughing
(d) Terrace farming

Q25. In which one of the following states is terrace cultivation practiced?
(a) Punjab
(b) Haryana
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Uttaranchal

 

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Q1. Define Resources
Q2. Define Sustainable Development.
Q3. How are the resources classified on the basis of ownership?
Q4. What are International Resources?
Q5. Define National Resources.
Q6. Write a short note on Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992.
Q7. What is Agenda 21?
Q8. What are the three main points of the resource planning in India?
Q9. What is resource planning?
Q10. What is the full form of UNCED?
Q11. Why is conservation of resources important?
Q12. Define Potential Resource.
Q13. Define resources classified on the basis of Exhaustibility.
Q14. Define Reserves resource.
Q15. What is the process of transformation of things available in our environment involves?
Q16. According to National Forest Policy (1952), what percentage of forest cover is essential to maintain ecological balance?
Q17. India comprises of many types of land forms, highlight.
Q18. Define Cultruable Waste Land.
Q19. Define Net Sown Area and Gross Cropped Area.
Q20. Define Fallow Lands.
Q21. Write the various reasons for the degradation of land.
Q22. What are the main cause of land degradation in Jharkhand, Gujarat, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh?
Q23. Define Soil.
Q24. What are the different factors responsible for the formation of Soil?
Q25. Name the major types of soils found in India.
Q26. What is the name of the soil formed by intense leaching?
Q27. Which soil is the best for cotton cultivation?
Q28. Define Alluvial Soil and types of alluvial soil.
Q29. What is Soil erosion? Define Sheet erosion.
Q30. Mention some of the methods used for conservation of soil.

 

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