This MCQ module is based on: Water Quality, Conservation, and Management
Water Quality, Conservation, and Management
Study Notes and Summary
- Demand for Water for Irrigation:
- Need for Irrigation: Essential due to spatio-temporal variability in rainfall, drought-prone areas (e.g., North-western India, Deccan plateau), and dry winter/summer seasons.
- Monsoon Breaks: Even in high-rainfall areas like West Bengal and Bihar, monsoon breaks necessitate irrigation.
- Crop Water Needs: High water requirement crops (rice, sugarcane, jute) need irrigation.
- Benefits of Irrigation: Enables multiple cropping, increases agricultural productivity, and supports high-yielding crop varieties requiring regular moisture.
- Green Revolution Success: Irrigation was crucial for the success of the Green Revolution in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh.
- Irrigated Area: Over 85% of net sown area in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh is irrigated.
- Groundwater Dependence: 76.1% of net irrigated area in Punjab and 51.3% in Haryana rely on wells and tubewells, leading to groundwater depletion.
- Groundwater Contamination: Over-withdrawal has led to increased fluoride concentration in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, and arsenic in parts of West Bengal and Bihar.
- Emerging Water Problems:
- Declining Per Capita Availability: Due to population increase.
- Pollution: Industrial, agricultural, and domestic effluents pollute available water resources, further limiting usable water.
- Deterioration of Water Quality:
- Definition: Water quality refers to purity, or water without unwanted foreign substances.
- Pollutants: Micro-organisms, chemicals, industrial, and other wastes deteriorate water quality, rendering it unfit for human use.
- Impact: Toxic substances entering water bodies cause pollution, affecting aquatic systems, and can also seep into groundwater.
- Highly Polluted Rivers: Ganga and Yamuna are among the most polluted rivers in India.
- Specific Polluted Stretches/Rivers: Yamuna (Delhi to Etawah), Sabarmati (Ahmedabad), Gomti (Lucknow), Kali, Adyar, Cooum (entire stretches), Vaigai (Madurai), Musi (Hyderabad), Ganga (Kanpur, Varanasi).
- Groundwater Pollution: Caused by high concentrations of heavy/toxic metals, fluoride, and nitrates.
- Ineffective Legislation: Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974 and Environment Protection Act 1986 have not been effectively implemented.
- Need for Awareness: Strong need to generate public awareness about water importance and pollution impacts to encourage reduction of pollutants from various sources.
- Water Conservation and Management:
- Necessity: To ensure sustainable development due to declining freshwater availability and increasing demand.
- Desalinisation: Considered negligible due to high cost.
- Measures: India needs quick steps, effective policies/laws, water-saving technologies, pollution prevention, watershed development, rainwater harvesting, water recycling and reuse, and conjunctive use of water.
- Recycle and Reuse of Water:
- Benefits: Improves freshwater availability.
- Applications: Lesser quality water (reclaimed wastewater) for industrial cooling/firefighting; bathing/washing water for gardening; vehicle wash water for gardening.
- Goal: Conserve better quality water for drinking.
- Current Practice: Limited scale, but enormous scope for expansion.
- Watershed Management:
- Definition: Efficient management and conservation of surface and groundwater resources.
- Methods: Prevention of runoff, storage and recharge of groundwater (percolation tanks, recharge wells).
- Broad Sense: Includes conservation, regeneration, and judicious use of all natural (land, water, plants, animals) and human resources within a watershed.
- Aim: Balance natural resources and society.
- Success Factor: Depends largely on community participation.
- Government Programmes: Central and State Governments have initiated many programs (e.g., Haryali), often involving NGOs and Gram Panchayats.
- Examples: Neeru-Meeru (Andhra Pradesh), Arvary Pani Sansad (Alwar, Rajasthan) for water-harvesting structures.
- Mandatory Rainwater Harvesting: Tamil Nadu has made rainwater harvesting structures compulsory for houses.
- Outcomes: Some projects have rejuvenated environment and economy, but many are still nascent, requiring more awareness.
- Rainwater Harvesting (RWH):
- Definition: Capturing and storing rainwater for various uses; also recharges groundwater aquifers.
- Technique: Low-cost, eco-friendly, guides rainwater to borewells, pits, wells.
- Benefits: Increases water availability, checks declining groundwater table, improves groundwater quality (dilutes fluoride/nitrates), prevents soil erosion/flooding, arrests saltwater intrusion in coastal areas (by recharging aquifers).
- Traditional Practices: Long-standing practice in India using surface storage (lakes, ponds, tanks).
- Kund or Tanka: Covered underground tanks in Rajasthan for storing harvested rainwater.
- Modern Applications: Rooftop and open space harvesting.
- Additional Benefits: Decreases community dependence on groundwater for domestic use, saves energy for pumping groundwater.
- Urban Areas: RWH is particularly beneficial where water demand outstrips supply.
- Ralegan Siddhi Case Study (Maharashtra):
- Transformation: Village transformed from poverty and illicit liquor trade post-1975 due to watershed development led by a retired army personnel.
- Key Initiatives: Family planning, voluntary labour, preventing open grazing/tree felling, liquor prohibition.
- Community Participation: Voluntary labour to reduce government dependence, monthly salary contribution from villagers working outside.
- Percolation Tank: Initial project, repaired by villagers, led to swelling of wells.
- Social Reforms: Tarun Mandal banned dowry, caste discrimination, untouchability.
- Agricultural Changes: Banned water-intensive crops (sugarcane); encouraged pulses, oilseeds, low-water cash crops.
- Local Governance: Consensus-based local body elections, Nyay Panchayats (informal courts).
- Self-Reliance: Constructed school building with village resources, fostering pride and voluntary spirit.
- Current Status: Adequate water, flourishing agriculture (though high fertiliser/pesticide use), plans to buy land for landless labourers.
- National Water Policy, 2002:
- Priorities (in order): Drinking water, irrigation, hydro-power, navigation, industrial and other uses.
- Key Features:
- Irrigation and multi-purpose projects should include drinking water component where no alternative exists.
- Drinking water for all humans and animals is the first priority.
- Limit and regulate groundwater exploitation.
- Regular monitoring of surface and groundwater quality with phased improvement programs.
- Improve efficiency of water utilisation across diverse uses.
- Foster awareness of water as a scarce resource.
- Promote conservation through education, regulation, incentives, disincentives.
- Jal Kranti Abhiyan (2015-16):
- Context: Water is recyclable but limited; supply-demand gap widening; climate change creating water stress; India has high population growth and economic development with high water demand.
- Aim: Ensure water security through per capita availability.
- Approach: Involve local bodies, NGOs, citizens in awareness creation.
- Proposed Activities:
- Selection of one water-stressed village per district to create a ‘Jal Gram’.
- Identification of model command areas (~1000 hectares) in different regions.
- Pollution abatement: water conservation, artificial recharge, reducing groundwater pollution, constructing arsenic-free wells.
- Mass awareness through social media, TV, print media, school competitions.
- Overall Goal: Provide livelihood and food security through water security.
Practice MCQs
Assessment Worksheets
This assessment will be based on: Water Quality, Conservation, and Management
key facts and analysis (for competitive exam)
- Real-Life Connections & General Knowledge:
- The Green Revolution’s reliance on irrigation and its long-term consequences (groundwater depletion, salinity) highlight the need for sustainable agricultural practices.
- The CPCB’s role in monitoring water quality is a real-world example of institutional efforts to combat water pollution.
- The conflict over water, as highlighted in news items (e.g., “Rivers of conflict… but also of peace”), relates to transboundary water disputes and the potential for cooperation.
- The Barmer floods juxtaposed with “AND THEY SAY IT’S A DESERT” illustrate climate change impacts and the paradox of water stress in arid regions.
- Case-based Scenarios & Reasoning:
- Scenario 1: A rapidly urbanizing coastal city faces severe water scarcity and saltwater intrusion. Design a comprehensive water management plan incorporating RWH, recycling, and policy interventions.
- Scenario 2: Given the challenges of groundwater depletion and contamination in Punjab and Haryana, propose innovative agricultural practices and policy changes to promote water sustainability in these regions.
- Conceptual Application:
- Explain how the concept of “integrated water resource management” (IWRM) is crucial for addressing the multifaceted water challenges in India, encompassing supply, demand, quality, and governance.
- Discuss the ethical implications of pricing water, especially in the context of ensuring access to drinking water as a fundamental human right.
- Numerical/Data Interpretation:
- Analyze the map of Indian River Basins to identify which basins are predominantly “East Flowing” versus “West Flowing” and correlate this with population density or agricultural activity (if information is provided).
- Interpret the map showing the Ganga and its tributaries with areas of good and poor water quality, linking pollution hot-spots to urban and industrial centers.
- Comparative & Analytical Points:
- Compare the traditional rainwater harvesting methods (e.g., Kund/Tanka) with modern techniques (rooftop RWH) in terms of effectiveness, scalability, and community involvement.
- Analyze the effectiveness of different policy tools (legislation, awareness campaigns, incentives/disincentives) in promoting water conservation and pollution control, drawing lessons from the National Water Policy 2002 and Jal Kranti Abhiyan.
