notes-shivam

02 WATER RESOURCES

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WATER RESOURCES

  1. Water is a vital elixir for all living beings.
  2. Although it is a renewable resource, scarcity of quality water is felt in many parts of the world.
  3. We need water to grow food, keep clean, generate electricity, to stay alive.
  4. World Ocean water covers about 75 percent of the surface of the earth. Therefore, the earth is called the water planet.
  5. Ocean water is saline and not fit for human consumption. Fresh water is just about 2.7 percent of the total water.
  6. Global warming and water pollution have made a considerable part of available freshwater unfit for consumption.
  7. As a result, water is very scarce.
  8. Steps need to be taken to conserve water
  9. Water is renewable, but its overuse and pollution make it unfit for use.
  10. Sewage, industrial use, chemicals, etc. pollute water with nitrates, metals, and pesticides.

USE OF WATER RESOURCE

  1. Agricultural Use -

    1. Agriculture accounts for 69 percent of all water consumption basically in agricultural economies like India.
    2. Agriculture, therefore, is the largest consumer of the Earth’s available freshwater.

  2. Industrial Use -

    1. Water is the lifeblood of the industry.
    2. It is used as a raw material coolant, a solvent, a transport agent, and as a source of energy.
    3. Manufacturing industries account for a considerable share in the total industrial water consumption.
    4. Besides, paper and allied products, chemicals and primary metals are major industrial users of water.
    5. Industries use more than half of the water available for human use.

  3. Domestic Use -

    1. It includes drinking, cleaning, personal hygiene, garden care, cooking, washing of clothes, dishes, vehicles, etc.
    2. Since the trend of people moving out of the countryside to the ever-expanding cities.
    3. large water-supply systems to deliver water to new populations and industries had to be made

  4. Use for Hydropower Generation

    1. Electricity produced from water is hydropower.
    2. Hydropower is the leading renewable source of electricity.
    3. It accounts for about 16 percent of total electricity generation globally.
    4. leading hydropower generating countries are China, the US, Brazil, Canada, India, and Russia.

  5. Use for Navigation and Recreation

    1. Navigable waterways are defined as watercourses that have been or may be used for transport of interstate or foreign commerce.
    2. Agricultural and commercial goods are moved on water on a large scale in a number of regions in the world.

These uses affect the quality of water and pollute it. Highest priority should be given to public health and drinking water quality while permitting such activities in reservoirs, lakes, and rivers.

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