Water Resources — Practice

Question 1

Who described dams as the 'temples of modern India'?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: Jawaharlal Nehru.

Question 2

What is a 'tanka' in the context of rainwater harvesting in Rajasthan?

Accepted Answer

An underground tank/cylindrical pit built in a house or courtyard to collect and store rooftop rainwater for drinking through the dry season.

✦ Answer: an underground rooftop-rainwater storage tank used in Rajasthan.

Question 3

Which state was the first to make rooftop rainwater harvesting compulsory?

Accepted Answer

✦ Answer: Tamil Nadu.

Question 4

Give two reasons why water scarcity occurs even in areas with sufficient water.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Over-exploitation and over-use by a large population, intensive farming and industry deplete and lower groundwater.

Step 2 — Pollution from domestic, industrial and agricultural waste, plus unequal access, makes available water unusable for many.

✦ Answer: over-use/falling groundwater AND pollution/unequal access (any two).

Question 5

List any four purposes served by a multi-purpose river project.

Accepted Answer

Any four of: irrigation, hydroelectric power generation, domestic/industrial water supply, flood control, inland navigation, recreation, fish breeding.

✦ Answer: any four valid uses as above.

Question 6

Describe the bamboo drip irrigation system.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — It is a 200-year-old method practised in Meghalaya.

Step 2 — Water from streams and springs is channelled using bamboo pipes to drip at the roots of plants.

Step 3 — It is an efficient, low-cost way to irrigate plantations in hilly terrain.

✦ Answer: a Meghalaya system using bamboo pipes to drip stream/spring water to plant roots.

Question 7

Why are large dams increasingly opposed? Give three reasons.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Ecological: they fragment rivers, block fish migration, cause heavy sedimentation in the reservoir and submerge forests/vegetation.

Step 2 — Social: they displace large numbers of people (often poor and tribal) from their land and livelihoods, frequently without adequate rehabilitation.

Step 3 — Economic/equity: benefits go mostly to large farmers and industries, while costs fall on the displaced; over-irrigation also causes salinisation and waterlogging.

✦ Answer: ecological damage + displacement + unequal benefits (any three).

Question 8

What was the Narmada Bachao Andolan and what did it highlight?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — It was a people's movement against the building of large dams on the Narmada river, especially the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

Step 2 — It highlighted the large-scale displacement of poor and tribal communities and the ecological damage caused by big dams.

Step 3 — It demanded proper rehabilitation of the displaced and a rethink of relying on giant dams.

✦ Answer: an anti-large-dam movement on the Narmada that exposed displacement and ecological costs.

Question 9

'Multi-purpose projects are both a boon and a bane.' Discuss with examples.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — Boon: they provide irrigation, hydroelectricity, drinking and industrial water, flood control, navigation and recreation — Bhakra-Nangal, Hirakud and Sardar Sarovar transformed agriculture and power supply.

Step 2 — Bane (ecological): river fragmentation, sedimentation, blocked fish movement, submergence of forests; can even induce earthquakes.

Step 3 — Bane (social/economic): displacement of poor/tribal people, unequal sharing of benefits, salinisation from over-irrigation, and inter-state water disputes.

Step 4 — Conclusion: dams deliver real benefits but must be balanced with rehabilitation, ecological care, and decentralised harvesting alternatives.

✦ Answer: balanced discussion — benefits (irrigation/power/etc.) vs costs (displacement/ecology/inequity) with examples.

Practice — Water Resources

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