WATER RESOURCES

 Water resources in India

Water is an invaluable natural resource, which is important for the entire ecological system. Water resources are a major component in India's significant wealth. The surface water and ground water resources of the country play a major role in the fields of agriculture, hydropower generation, fisheries, boating etc.

As India is an agricultural country, much of the population is dependent on agriculture and Indian farmers are mostly dependent on rainwater or river water. Due to increase in population in India and improvement in living standards, the pressure on our water resources is increasing.

Due to this the availability of per capita water resources is decreasing day by day. According to a study conducted in 2008, the total water availability in the country was 654 billion cubic meters and the then total demand is 634 billion cubic meters.

(Government figures show water availability at 1123 billion cubic meters but it is over estimated). Also, it has been clarified in several studies that the difference between demand and supply may take worrisome form in the near future. The source of water resources in India is mainly rain water, yet the water resources can be divided into the following two parts.

Surface water resources (rivers, ponds, drains)

Underground water resources

Types and Parts of Water Resources

surface water

Surface water is completely dependent on rainfall. Rainwater availability in India is considerable and is also a part of normal life here. India receives an average of 1160 mm of rainfall a year. Most of the rainfall occurs in the monsoon season (June – September).

The water collected in the ponds, lakes and rivers etc. is used by the Indians throughout the year. It is possible to have both floods and droughts in India within any given year as the rainfall in India is very variable on a spatial and temporal basis.

While on one side in the country, Massinram near Cherrapunji receives the highest rainfall in the world, on the other hand almost every year in dry seasons, there is a shortage of water at many places.

The snow accumulated on the mountains of India melts in the summer days and flows in the rivers. The geographical area of ​​the rivers is about 329 million hectares. In which many small big rivers flow. Some rivers are famous as great rivers in the world.

Which includes Indus, Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Meghna etc. Majority of the population of India is rural. Which is completely based on agriculture. For which rivers are the only source of irrigation. It is no exaggeration to say that rivers are the heart and soul of Indian life.

well water

Groundwater is water that leaks from rocks and soil and accumulates below the ground. The rocks in which ground water is stored are called aquifers. It is obtained by digging wells, tube-wells or hand pumps.

Ground water is mostly clean and can be used directly. India is the world's largest geothermal water user. However, even in India, the distribution of ground water is not uniform everywhere.

The plateau parts of India have always been weak in terms of ground water. Here groundwater is found in geological formations such as fault basins and cracks. The alluvial plains of northern India have always been rich in ground water, but now an unprecedented reduction has been recorded in the northern western parts due to rapid exploitation of irrigation.

Concerns are being raised about the status of waterfowl and groundwater in India. The way ground water is being exploited in India, the future can be quite dangerous. It is known that in India 60% of the water for irrigation and about 85% of the source of drinking water is ground water, in such a situation the fast falling level of ground water is emerging as a big challenge.

Water is the basis of life and if we have to save life, we have to take measures for water conservation and storage. The availability of water is decreasing and the fighting is increasing. In such a situation, it becomes the responsibility of every human being to find the right solution to the crisis.

This also becomes our national responsibility and we expect similar responsibility from the international community. Sources of water are limited, new sources are not. In such a situation, we can combat water crisis by conserving water resources and storing water.

For this, we have to curb our materialistic tendencies and become frugal in the use of water. We can tackle this problem only by removing aquatic mismanagement. If proper collection of rainwater is possible and every drop of water is treated as precious and there is no reason why the solution to the global water crisis cannot be achieved.