notes-shivam

2.5 OVERUTILIZATION OF SURFACE AND GROUND WATER

3 min read

OVERUTILIZATION OF SURFACE AND GROUND WATER

  1. Water scarcity has become a burning global issue. The UN has held several conventions on water in recent decades.

  2. Continuous overutilization and increased man-induced water pollution of surface and ground water has led to virtual water scarcity in the world today.

  3. As a result, there has been continuous overutilization of the existing water sources due to mammoth growth in world population

  4. Groundwater is the major source of water in many parts of the world. there has been continuous depletion of this source due to its overexploitation by rising human population and the rapid rise in industrialization and urbanization in modern times

  5. Nearly three billion people in the world suffer from water scarcity.

  6. International rivalries on water The ongoing Jordan River conflict, Nile River conflict, and Aral Sea conflict are cases in point.

CONSEQUENCES OF OVERUTILIZATION

1. Climate Change

  1. Impact on the drainage pattern and hydrological cycle on the earth thereby severely affecting the surface and groundwater availability
  2. rise the global temperature at an increasing pace. Temperature increase affects the hydrological cycle by directly increasing evaporation of available surface water and vegetation transpiration.

•As a result, precipitation amount, timing and intensity rates are largely affected. It impacts the flux and storage of water in surface and subsurface reservoirs.

2. Floods & Draughts

  1. Floods and droughts are two well-known natural hazards in the world.
  2. The former is due to excess in water flow and the latter is due to scarcity of water.
  3. The amount of rainfall received by an area varies from one place to another depending on the location of the place.
  4. In some places it rains almost throughout the year whereas in other places it might rain for only few days. India records most of its rainfall in the monsoon season.
  5. Heavy rains lead to rise in the water level of rivers, seas, and oceans. Water gets accumulated in the coastal areas, which results in floods.
  6. Floods bring in extensive damage to crops, domestic animals, property and human life. During floods, many animals get carried away by the force of water and eventually die.
  7. On the other hand, droughts set in when a particular region goes without rain for a long period of time. In the meantime, the soil will continuously lose groundwater by the process of evaporation and transpiration.
  8. Since this water is not brought back to earth in the form of rains, the soil becomes very dry.

Graph View

Backlinks