Our Water Resources

Water is essential for life. We need water to drink, cook food, wash clothes and do many other things. Farmers need water to grow crops. 

SOURCE OF WATER 

About three- fourth of the Earth is covered by water. There are many sources of water.

Rain - It is the main source of freshwater . Farmers depend upon rainwater for their crops.

Groundwater - Much of the rainwater that falls, seeps into the ground. This is called groundwater.

Ponds and lakes - An area of water surrounded by a land is called pond. A lake is bigger than a pond. Rainwater collects in pond and lake.

Rivers - Rivers that originate in the mountains get water from the melting of snow and rain. Hence they carry water throughout the year. Rivers that originate from rain. They almost dry up during summer.

Seas and Oceans - Most of the water on the Earth is in the the seas and oceans. However, this water is salty. We cannot use it.

MEANS OF IRRIGATION

To grow crops, farmers need sufficient and timely supply of water. This is possible only through irrigation. There are different means of irrigation in India.

Wells and tubewells

In villages people dig Wells to bring groundwater to the surface. Water is drawn using a Persian Well. Sometimes, groundwater lies at a great depth. In such a case a deep hole is dug. A tube is sunk in the hole and water is bought up using an electric pump. Such a well is called a tubewell. They are widely used in Punjab, Haryana Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

Well

Canals

In the northern coastal plains, small channels are dug to take water from the rivers to the fields. These are called canals.

Canal

Tanks

In the southern plateaus, the low - lying areas get filled with water during the monsoon season. These are called tanks. Tank irrigation is mostly practised in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

Tank

Sprinklers

In sprinkler irrigation water from a pipe is sprayed into the air. It falls in plants like rain. It is popular in Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala.

Sprinkler

Dams

A dam is a very strong wall built across a river to block the flow of water. This water is stored in an artificial lake, called reservoir , created behind the dam. The stored water is taken to the fields through canals. A dam is called multi - purpose project because it is useful to us in many ways. Some of them are:

• In a dams, water is made fall from a great height. The force of falling water is used to generate hydroelectricity. 
• It provides water for irrigation.
• It controls floods. 

There are many multi - purpose projects in India. Some of them are: 

• The Bhakra - Nangal dams built on the Satluj river.
• The Damodar Valley Project built on Damodar river and its tributaries.
• The Sardar Sarovar Dam built on the Narmada river.
• The Mettur Dam is built on the Kaveri river.

 

 Fact Wise:

The Tehri Dam, built on the Bhagirathi river in Uttarakhand, is the highest dam in India. The Hirakud Dam, built on the Mahanadi river in Odisha, is the longest dam in India. 

I hope you guys like this post, see you in the next post.