ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIESASSIGNMENT 1

WATER RESOURCES

SUBMITTED BYGREETY MARIA THOMAS C

S9 BARCH11BAR1013

WATER RESOURCES

CONTENT WATER RESOURCES WATER AS A UNIQUE SOURCE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE WATER AVAILABILITY WATER USE AND OVER EXPLOITATION SOURCES OF WATER SURFACE WATER FLOOD DROUGHT IMPACT OF DAMS TIPS TO CONSERVE WATER AND WATER RESOURCES

SOURCE : PERSPECTIVES IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIESFOURTH EDITION

BY ANUBHA KAUSHIK&C P KAUSHIKPAGE NO:26-43

WATER RESOURCESWATER IS AN INDISPENSABLE NATURAL RESOURCE ON THIS EARTH WHICH ALL LIFE DEPENDS. ABOUT 97% OF THE EARTH SURFACE IS COVERED BY WATER AND MOST OF THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS HAVE 60-65% WATER IN THEIR BODY.WATER IS AN UNIQUE RESOURCE:IT EXISTS AS LIGUID AND HAS HIGHEST SPECIFIC HEAT,DUE TO WHICH IT WARMS UP AND COOLS DOWN VERY SLOWLY.IT HAS HIGH LATENT HEAT OF VAPOURIZATION,WHICH TAKES HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY FOR VAPOURIZING MAKES A COOLING EFFECT AS IT EVAPOURATES.

THE HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE CONTINUOSLY PURIFIES,RECYCLES AND DISTRIBUTES FRESH WATER.EVERY YEAR ABOUT 1.4 INCH THICK LAYER OF WATER EVAPOURATES FROM THE OCEANS,MORE THAN 90% OF WHICH RETURNS TO OCEANS THROUGH HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE.

SOURCE:Global Environment Awareness PPTLectured by: Dr. Sin Meng Srun

IT HAS ANOMALOUS EXPANSION BEHAVIOUR,WHICH MAKES AQUATIC LIFE IN FROZEN REGIONS.DUE TO HIGH SURFACE TENSION AND COHESION,IT CAN EASILY RISE TO GREAT HEIGHTS.

WATER AVAILABILITYALTHOUGH WATER IS ABUNDANT ON THIS EARTH, YET IT IS VERY PRECIOUS.OUT OF THE TOTAL WATER RESERVES OF THE WORLD,ABOUT 97.4% IS SALTY WATER (MARINE) AND ONLY 2.6% IS FRESH WATER.EVEN THIS SMALL FRACTION OF FRESH WATER IS NOT AVAILABLE TO US AS MOST OF IT IS LOCKED UP IN POLAR ICE CAPS(1.98%) AND J UST .6% IS READILY AVAI LABLE TO US IN FORM OF GROUND WATER AND SURFACE WATER,WATER IN ATMOSPHERE AND IN LIVING ORGANISMS.

OCEANS : 97.4%SALT CONTENTS – 3.5%NOT GOOD FOR CONSUMPTION WITHOUT DESALINATION.

GLACIERS AND ICE : 2.6%THESE OCCUR AT HIGHER ALTITUDE AND LATITUDES.

SO WE HAVE TO USE THIS PRECIOUS FRESH WATER JUDICIOUSLY AND WISELY.AS PER UN ESTIMATES(2005) IT IS SAID THAT 2/3RD OF THE WORLD POPULATION WILL BE SUFFERING FROM ACUTE WATER SHORTAGE BY 2024.

WATER USE AND OVER EXPLOITATIONWATER IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE.IT SHAPES THE EARTH SURFACE AND REGULATES OUR CLIMATE.MOST OF THE LIFE PROCESSES LIKE UPTAKE OF NUTRIENTS,THEIR DISTRIBUTION,REGULATION OF TEMPERATURE,ETC ARE ALL MEDIATED THROUGH WATER. WATER

USE BY HUMANS

WATER WITHDRAWAL : TAKING WATER FROM GROUND

WATER OR SURFACE WATER

RESOURCES

WATER CONSUMPTION :THE WATER IS TAKEN UP

BUT NOT RETURNED FOR REUSE.ONLY 60%

OF WATER WITHDRAWN IS CONSUMED,REST IS

LOST THROUGH EVAPOURATION

70%

25%5%

WATER USAGEAGRI-CUL-TUREINDUSTRIAL SECTOROTHER USES

SOURCE:www.google.co.in/water.usgs.gov/edu/pictures

WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF WATER?

Evaporation and transpiration

Evaporation

Stream

InfiltrationWater tableInfiltration

Unconfined aquifer

Confined aquifer

Lake

Well requiring a pump

Flowingartesian well

Runoff

Precipitation

ConfinedRecharge Area

Aquifer

Less permeable materialsuch as clay Confirming permeable rock layer

• FORMED WHEN WATER COLLECTS OVER A ROCK OR COMPACT CLAY.

UNCONFINED AQUIFER

• FORMED WHEN SANWICHED BETWEEN TWO LAYERS HAVING LOW PERMEABILITY.

CONFINED AQUIFER

•GROUNDWATER IS WATER IN THE ROCK AND SOIL LAYER BENEATH EARTHS SURFACE. ABSORB EXCESS RUNOFF RAIN AND SNOW ON GROUND. RETURN TO LAKES, STREAMS, RIVERS AND/OR MARSHES. •IS READILY AVAILABLE FOR USE AND DRINKING. •PRECIPITATION FILTERS DOWN THROUGH PORES AND CRACKS IN SOIL AND ROCKS.•GROUND WATER IS NOT STATIC,IT MOVES THOUGH AT A VERY SLOW RATE OF ABOUT A METER OR SO IN A YEAR.•A LAYER OF SEDIMENT OR ROCK THAT IS HIGHLY PERMEABLE AND CONTAINS WATER IS AN AQUIFER.(LIKE LAYERS OF SAND AND GRAVEL)

SOURCE:G. Tyler Miller’sLiving in the Environment -PPT

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF EXCESS USAGE OF GROUND WATER?SUBSIDENCE : WHEN GROUND WATER WITHDRAWAL IS MORE THAN RECHARGE RATE,SEDIMENTS IN AQUIFER GETS COMPACTED –GROUND SUBSIDENCE.IT RESULTS IN SINKING OF OVERLYING LAND SURFACE WHICH AFFECTS STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS,CANALS,ETC.LOWERING OF WATER TABLE : EXCESSIVE MINING CAUSES THIS LOWERING WHICH AFFECTS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION.WATER LOGGING : EXCESSIVE IRRIGATION RAISES WATER TABLE WHICH LEADS TO WATER LOGGING AND SALINITY PROBLEMS.WATER POLLUTION : DISCHARGE AND DUMPING OF WASTES CAUSE POLLUTION PROBLEMS.

SURFACE WATERTHE WATER COMING THROUGH PRECIPITATION(RAINFALL,SNOW) WHEN DOES NOT PERCOLATE DOWN INTO THE GROUND OR DOES NOT RETURN TO THE ATMOSPHERE AS EVAPOURATION OR TRANSPIRATION LOSS,ASSUMES THE FORM OF STREAMS,LAKES,PONDS,WETLANDS OR ARTIFICIAL RESERVOIRS AS SURFACE WATER.

SOURCE:Global Environment Awareness PPTLectured by: Dr. Sin Meng Srun

FLOODSIT IS THE OVERFLOW OF WATER THAT SUBMERGES THE LAND.IS THERE A RELATION BETWEEN HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND FLOOD?•IN SOME COUNTRIES LIKE INDIA AND BANGLADESH RAINFALL DOES NOT OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, 90% OF IT IS CONCENTRATED INTO A FEW MONTHS (JUNE – SEPTEMBER).HEAVY RAINFALL CAUSES FLOODS IN THE LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS.PROLONGED DOWNPOUR CAN ALSO CAUSE THE OVER-FLOWING OF LAKES AND RIVERS RESULTING INTO FLOODS.

THERE ARE SEVERAL ANTHROPOGENIC ACTIVITIES LIKE DEFORESTATION, OVER GRAZING,MINING, RAPID INDUSTRILIZATION, GLOBAL WARMING ETC.THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED LARGELY TO A SHARP RISE IN THE INCIDENCE OF FLOODS,WHICH OTHERWISE IS A NATURAL RESOURCE.

•HIMALAYAN RUNOFF AND STORMS HAD VERY DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES CAUSING MASSIVE DEATHS AND DAMAGES IN INDIA.NETWORKING AND INTER LINKING OF RIVERS IS BEING PROPOSED AT NATIONAL LEVEL TO DEAL WITH PROBLEMS OF FLOODS.

2005 : Maharashtra flood 

FLOOD OCCURRED IN BIHAR-2008

SOURCE: http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/flood-situation-worsens-in-bihar-as-another-river-breaches

SOURCE:WIKIPEDIA-MAHARASTRA FLOOD IN 2005

DROUGHTSHAVE HUMAN ACTIVITIES INCREASED VULNERABILITY TO DROUGHT?WHEN ANNUAL RAINFALL IS BELOW NORMAL AND LESS EVAPOURATION,DROUGHT CONDITIONS ARE CREATED.IRONICALLY THESE DROUGHT-HIT AREAS ARE OF HAVING A HIGH POPULATION GROWTH WHICH LEADS TO POOR LAND USE AND MAKES THE SITUATION WORSE.ANTHROPOGENIC CAUSES : ANTHROPOGENIC CAUSES LIKE OVER GRAZING, DEFORESTATION, MINING ETC.THERE IS SPREADING OF THE DESERTS TENDING TO CONVERT MORE AREAS TO DROUGHT AFFECTED AREAS.IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS,INDIA HAS EXPERIENCED MORE AND MORE DESERTIFICATION, THEREBY INCREASING THE VULNERABILITY OF LARGER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY TO DROUGHTS.

ENORMOUS AND INTENSIVE CROPPING PATTERN AND INCREASED EXPLOITATION OF SCARCE WATER RESOURCES THROUGH WELL OR CANAL IRRIGATION TO GET HIGH PRODUCTIVITY HAS CONVERTED DROUGHT-PRONE INTO DESERTIFIED AREAS. SOURCE:DROUGHTS

IN INDIA PPT BY K.Amruta

BIG DAMS ARE OFTEN REGARDED AS A SYMBOL OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.BENEFITSPLAY A KEY ROLE IN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS DUE TO THEIR MULTIPLE USES, AS THEY AIM AT PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT, RAISING THEIR STANDARDS AND QUALITY OF LIFE.DAMS HAVE TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH AND UPLIFTMENT.THEY HELP IN CHECKING FLOODS,FAMINES,GENERATE ELECTRICITY, REDUCE WATER AND WATER SHORTAGE ,PROVIDE IRRIGATION,DRINKING WATER IN REMOTE AREAS, PROMOTE NAVIGATION, FISHERY .

BIG DAMS – BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS

POSITIVE ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS-REDUCTION IN FAMINES-PREVENTION OF FLOODS-PROMOTION OF PRODUCTIVITY IN LOWER AREAS

NEGATIVE ECOLOGICAL IMPACTSDOWNSTREAM IMPACTS-WATERLOGGING AND SALINITY,STAGNATION.-FLASH FLOODS-CHANGE IN WATER FLOW AND SITUATION-RESERVOIR INDUCED SEISMICITY.UPSTREAM IMPACTSGROWTH OF AQUATIC WEEDS.SILTATION AND SEDIMENTATION OF RESERVOIRS.-DEFORESTATION AND LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY

POSITIVE SOCIO ECONOMIC IMPACTS-EMPLOYMENT-ELECTRICITY GENERATTION-IRRIGATION WATER SUPPLY-DRINKING WATER SUPPLY-PROMOTION OF NAVIGATION-PROMOTION OF FISHERIES

NEGATIVE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTSDOWNSTREAM IMPACTS-SUBMERGENCE OF VILLAGES &FERTILE LANDS.-OUTBREAK OF VECTOR BORNE DISEASES.UPSTREAM IMPACTS-DISPLACEMENT OF NATIVE PEOPLE-RESETTLEMENT ISSUES.CHANGE IN FISHERIES AND SPAWNING GROUNDS.IMPACT OF DAMS

BIBLIOGRAPHYKaushik,Anubha & C P Kaushik . Perspectives in environmental studies .new age international limited.fourth edition-2014.pp 26-43Dr.Sin Meng Srun. Global Environment Awareness .authorstream.2 july 2015.<http://authorstream.com/presentation/Maharonga-1321549-water resources><www.google.co.in/water.usgs.gov/edu/pictures>G. Tyler Miller.Living in the Environment PPT.polytechpanthers.24 february 2014.2 july 2015.<http://www.polytechpanthers.com/ourpages/auto/2014/2/24/4644540/chapter 4>Sathymoorthy G.another-river-breaches.indian express.19 august 2008<http://archive indianexpress.com/news-flood-situation-worsen-bihar-as=another-river-breaches>Wikipedia.2005.july 2015<http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/maharastra_floods_of_2005>Rahul Jaiswal.Droughts in india.slideshare.2 july 2015.<www.slideshare.net/rahul jaiswal14/ppt-on-droughts-in-india>