Welcome to etutorguru.in In Chapter 3 of Class 10 Geography, you will learn about water resources. The chapter begins with a discussion of the freshwater resources on Earth and how a water shortage develops. The chapter examines the benefits and drawbacks of building river dams. The chapter ends with a discussion of rainwater harvesting as a method of water conservation. The CBSE Notes for Class 10 Geography Chapter 3 on Water Resources are provided here.. These notes cover all the important topics which are discussed in the chapter with Mind Map to remember the full chapter and animated video to even boost learning up to 400%. These notes are also available in PDF format for offline reading.

Table of Contents –

• Water
• Water Scarcity and the Need for Water Conservation and Management
• We urgently need to manage and conserve our water resources
• Multi-Purpose River Projects and Integrated Water Resources Management
• Dams
• Uses of Dam
• Effects of Dam Construction
• Rain Water Harvesting
• Mind Map for Class 10 Geography Chapter 3 – Water Resources 
• PDF Notes

Water

Only a small percentage of the water that covers three-quarters of the earth’s surface is freshwater that may be used. 

Water is a renewable resource.

Water Scarcity and the Need for Water Conservation and Management

Water resources’ accessibility varies over both time and space.

• Over-exploitation, excessive consumption, and unequal access to water among various social groups are the causes of water scarcity.
• In order to increase the irrigated areas for dry-season agriculture, water resources are being overutilized.
• There are some places where there is enough water to suit everyone’s needs. But due to the poor quality of the water, those communities continue to experience water constraints.

We urgently need to manage and conserve our water resources

• To protect ourselves from risks to our health.
• To maintain our ability to eat, our way of life, and constructive endeavours.
• In order to stop the destruction of our natural habitats.

Multi-Purpose River Projects and Integrated Water Resources Management

We used to conserve water in the past by building complex hydraulic structures like dams made of stone debris, reservoirs or lakes, embankments, and irrigation canals. By erecting dams in the majority of our river basins, modern India has carried on this legacy.

Dams

A dam is a structure that blocks, directs, or slows the flow of water; it frequently results in the creation of a reservoir, lake, or impoundment. The reservoir is referred to as the “dam,” not the building.

Uses of Dam:

Dams are built:

• To collect rainfall and rivers in order to later use it to irrigate land.
• To produce electricity.
• To supply water for both home and industrial needs.
• Flood prevention.
• Inland navigation, fishing, and recreation.

Effects of Dam Construction

• River regulation and dam construction alter the rivers’ natural flow.
• Aquatic life’s habitats in rivers are in worse shape.
• Aquatic wildlife finds it harder to migrate when rivers are fragmented.
• Dams built on floodplains submerge the existing plant and soil, which over time causes it to decompose.
• Many new environmental initiatives, including the “Narmada Bachao Andolan” and the “Tehri Dam Andolan,” have been sparked against the construction of huge dams..
• Many times local people had to give up their land, livelihood and their control over resources for the construction of the dam.

The majority of the project’s criticisms stemmed from its failure to meet the goals for which they were designed. The majority of the dams were built to manage floods, although they have also generated floods. Dams have also resulted in significant soil erosion. Excessive water consumption has caused earthquakes, water-borne illnesses and pests, and pollution.

Look at the map below to see India’s Major Rivers and Dam :

Rainwater Harvesting

Rainwater harvesting is a simple way of collecting rainwater for future use. The gathered rainwater can be stored, used in various ways, or immediately used for recharge.

For Rain Water Harvesting, many methods have been used in various places.

• People in hill and hilly areas have created diversion channels for agriculture, similar to the ‘guls’ or ‘kuls’ of the Western Himalayas.
• Rooftop rainwater collection is a prevalent practice in Rajasthan for storing drinking water.
• People in the flood plains of Bengal created inundation canals to irrigate their land.
• Agricultural fields in dry and semi-arid regions were turned into rain-fed storage structures that enabled water to stand and saturate the soil, such as ‘khadins’ in Jaisalmer and ‘Johads’ in other parts of Rajasthan.
• The tankas are constructed within the main house or the courtyard and are part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system. This is primarily done in Rajasthan, notably in Bikaner, Phalodi, and Barmer, to save rainfall. Many homeowners have built underground rooms adjacent to the ‘tanka’ to keep the room cold throughout the summer.

Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to make rain water harvesting system collection structures mandatory for all residences. There are legal mechanisms in place to penalise defaulters.

Mind Map for Class 10 Geography Chapter 3 – Water Resources 

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PDF Notes Download Click on the Link Below

NCERT Solutions for Water Resources Class 10

1. Multiple choice questions.

(i) Based on the information given below, classify each of the situations as ‘suffering from water scarcity’ or ‘not suffering from water scarcity’.

(a) A region with high annual rainfall.

(b) A region having high annual rainfall and large population.

(c) A region having high annual rainfall but water is highly polluted.

(d) A region having low rainfall and low population.

Answer:

(a) A region with high annual rainfall – Not suffering from water scarcity

(b) A region having high annual rainfall and large population – Suffering from water scarcity

(c) A region having high annual rainfall but water is highly polluted – Suffering from water scarcity

(d) A region having low rainfall and low population- Not suffering from water scarcity

(ii) 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 help 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.

Answer:

(c) Multi-purpose projects lead to large scale displacements and loss of livelihood

(iii) Here are some false statements. Identify the mistakes and rewrite them correctly.

(a) Multiplying urban centres with large and dense populations and urban lifestyles have helped in proper utilisation of water resources.

(b) Regulating and damming of rivers does not 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.

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

Answer:

(a) Urban lifestyles and expanding urban centres with dense populations have led to improper use of water resources.

(b) The natural flow and sediment flow of rivers are impacted by regulation and damming.

(c) When water supply in urban areas was given a higher priority in Gujarat, especially during droughts, the Sabarmati basin farmers became incensed.

(d) Due to the abundant water supply from the Indira Gandhi Canal, rooftop rainwater harvesting is less popular today in Rajasthan.

2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.

(i) Explain how water becomes a renewable resource.

Answer:

Since there will always be rain, surface water and groundwater will continually recharge thanks to the three processes involved in the hydrological cycle, water can be regarded as a renewable resource.

The 3 processes of the hydrological cycle are

1. Evaporations
2. Condensation
3. Precipitation

(ii) What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?

Answer:

Our cities in general provide as good models. As a result of the vast and expanding population, higher water demands, and unequal access to it, there may be a water shortage. A huge population necessitates more water, both for home use and for food production. Therefore, water resources are being overused to increase irrigated areas for dry-season agriculture in order to facilitate higher food-grain production. Agriculture that is irrigated uses the most water overall. The majority of farmers use their own wells and tube-wells for irrigation in their farms to increase their

(iii) Compare the advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose river projects.

Answer:

Advantages:

1. Irrigation
2. Electricity generation
3. Flood control
4. Water supply for industrial and domestic purposes.
5. Tourist attraction
6. Inland navigation

Disadvantages:

1. Water natural flow was  impacted.
2. Aquatic life gets affected
3. Land in the surrounding areas has submerged
4. Ecological consequences
5. large-scale local population displacement

3. Answer the following questions in about 120 words.

(i) Discuss how rainwater harvesting in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan is carried out.

Answer:

Traditionally, practically all homes in Rajasthan’s semi-arid and dry regions, particularly in Bikaner, Phalodi, and Barmer, had subterranean tanks called tankas for storing drinking water. One Phalodi home had a tank that was 6.1 metres deep, 4.27 metres long, and 2.44 metres broad; the tanks may be as enormous as a large room. The tankas were constructed inside the main house or the courtyard and were a part of the sophisticated rooftop rainwater harvesting system. They had a pipe connecting them to the houses’ sloping roofs. Rainwater from the rooftops would drain into the pipe and be collected in these subterranean “tankas.” Typically, the first rainstorm was not collected because it would clean the roofs and the

(ii) Describe how modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods are being carried out to conserve and store water.

Answer:

A practical option in terms of socioeconomics and the environment is a water harvesting system. Along with well developed hydraulic buildings, ancient India had a remarkable heritage of water collection systems. In accordance with the regional ecological conditions and their water demands, people created a wide range of strategies to harvest rainwater, groundwater, river water, and floodwater using their in-depth understanding of rainfall regimes and soil types. People in hilly and mountainous areas constructed irrigation channels for agriculture, similar to the “guls” or “kuls” of the Western Himalayas. In Rajasthan, in particular, “rooftop rainwater harvesting” was frequently used to store drinking water. People created inundation channels in Bengal’s flood plains to irrigate their fields. Agricultural fields were transformed into rain-fed storage structures in arid and semi-arid areas, to store water for daily use.

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