Water Resources — Practice

Question 1

Explain why Cherrapunji, which receives the highest rainfall in India, still faces water scarcity for several months each year.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — The paradox: Cherrapunji (Meghalaya) receives over 11,000 mm of rainfall annually — the highest in India and one of the highest in the world. Yet it faces severe drinking water shortages.

Step 2 — Reason 1 (Physical): Almost all of Cherrapunji's rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon months (June–September). The remaining 8 months are relatively dry. The rainfall comes in intense bursts, not gentle rains.

Step 3 — Reason 2 (Geographical): Cherrapunji sits on a plateau with steep slopes. Rainwater runs off rapidly into valleys and streams — it does not percolate into groundwater tables. By winter, streams dry up.

Step 4 — Reason 3 (Infrastructure): There has been insufficient investment in storage infrastructure (dams, tanks, reservoirs) to retain the seasonal surplus. Traditional bamboo pipes carry some water, but cannot handle the scale needed for a growing population.

Step 5 — The lesson: Water scarcity is NOT just a rainfall problem — it is a STORAGE and MANAGEMENT problem. High rainfall without storage = scarcity. This is why the chapter argues for rainwater harvesting as a solution.

✦ Answer: Cherrapunji gets enormous monsoon rainfall concentrated in 3-4 months, after which rainfall stops. Water runs off steep slopes into valleys rather than soaking into groundwater. Without adequate storage (tanks, reservoirs), months of surplus rain are wasted. By winter, even this high-rainfall area faces scarcity — proving water scarcity is a management failure, not just a rainfall problem.

Question 2

Name and describe any THREE traditional rainwater harvesting systems in India, specifying the region where each is found.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — KHADINS / JOHADS (Rajasthan): Earthen embankments built across seasonal streams and drainage channels. They slow down and store rainwater runoff, allowing it to percolate and recharge groundwater. Used for centuries in the arid Thar Desert region. Rajendra Singh ('water man of India') revived thousands of johads in Alwar district in the 1980s, restoring streams and wells.

Step 2 — TANKAS / KUNDS (Rajasthan): Underground cylindrical cisterns built below rooftops or courtyards in Bikaner, Barmer, and Jaisalmer. Rainwater from rooftops flows through filters into the tanka. Stored water stays cool and clean. In the Thar Desert, tankas were prized family assets — locked and protected.

Step 3 — ERIS (Tamil Nadu): A network of interconnected surface storage tanks that capture seasonal river water and rainfall. The excess water from one eri flows into the next in a linked chain. Used across Tamil Nadu's delta regions for centuries to support wet rice cultivation. Still partially functional today.

✦ Answer: (1) Khadins/Johads (Rajasthan) — earthen embankments that store runoff and recharge groundwater. (2) Tankas/Kunds (Rajasthan) — underground rooftop rainwater storage tanks. (3) Eris (Tamil Nadu) — networked interconnected irrigation tanks. (Other valid answers: Kuls in HP, bamboo drip in Meghalaya.)

Question 3

Evaluate multi-purpose river valley projects in India. Are they 'temples of modern India' or 'instruments of social and ecological destruction'? Present both sides.

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — NEHRU'S VIEW ('Temples of Modern India'): Jawaharlal Nehru called major dams the 'temples of modern India' — he saw them as symbols of scientific progress and national development. His argument: (i) IRRIGATION: Dams bring water to drought-prone regions — Bhakra Nangal transformed Punjab's agriculture. (ii) HYDROELECTRIC POWER: Dams generate clean, renewable electricity — Hirakud Dam powers Odisha industries. (iii) FLOOD CONTROL: Damodar Valley Corporation controls Damodar River flooding, protecting Bengal's farmland. (iv) WATER SUPPLY: Urban water supply for millions (Delhi draws from Bhakra via canals). (v) NAVIGATION: Large reservoirs enable inland water transport.

Step 2 — THE CRITICS' VIEW (NBA argument):
(i) DISPLACEMENT: Sardar Sarovar Dam alone displaced 200,000+ people — mostly Adivasi tribals from MP, Maharashtra, Gujarat. Land promised as rehabilitation was rarely delivered. Tribals lost forests, rivers, and livelihoods they depended on for generations.
(ii) ECOLOGICAL DAMAGE: Dams change river flow patterns. Brahmaputra dolphins, Gangetic dolphins, Mahseer fish lose spawning grounds. The riverine ecosystem downstream of a dam is permanently altered — salinity intrusion in deltas, loss of sediment (which was natural fertiliser for delta farmland).
(iii) SUBMERGENCE: Thousands of hectares of forests, farmland, and heritage sites (temples, villages) are submerged.
(iv) SEISMIC RISK: Large water reservoirs exert pressure on rock formations — linked to increased earthquake activity.
(v) SEDIMENTATION: Reservoirs fill with silt, reducing storage capacity over decades — a 'solution' that creates its own obsolescence.

Step 3 — ASSESSMENT: Neither purely good nor purely bad. The 5,000+ large dams India built after independence were necessary for food security and industrialisation. But the human and ecological costs were systematically underestimated, and rehabilitation was systematically neglected. Future projects should: (a) exhaust alternatives (drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting) before building dams; (b) guarantee and fund rehabilitation BEFORE displacement; (c) conduct rigorous ecological impact assessments.

✦ Answer: BENEFITS (Nehru's view): irrigation, hydroelectric power, flood control, urban water supply. COSTS (NBA view): displacement of lakhs (mostly tribals), ecological damage to rivers and deltas, forest submergence, sedimentation, seismic risk. India's dams were development necessities but their social and ecological costs were underestimated and inadequately addressed.

Question 4

What was the Narmada Bachao Andolan? What were its main demands and outcomes?

Accepted Answer

Step 1 — What was it: The Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA, 'Save Narmada Movement') was a social movement started in the late 1980s against the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River (Gujarat-MP-Maharashtra border). Led by Medha Patkar, it represented the voices of over 200,000 people — tribals, farmers, fisherfolk — from 245 villages who would be displaced by dam submergence.

Step 2 — Main demands: The NBA's primary demand was NOT to stop the dam — it demanded that REHABILITATION of displaced people PRECEDE dam height increases. Specifically: (i) Each displaced family must receive equivalent agricultural land (not just cash compensation) before flooding. (ii) No dam height increase until ongoing rehabilitation was verified complete. (iii) Environmental impact assessment to be made public.

Step 3 — Outcomes: The NBA took the case to the Supreme Court. The Court eventually ruled in favour of dam construction proceeding but mandated that the government ensure rehabilitation first. Partial rehabilitation occurred — many tribals received some land, though activists argue it was inadequate. The movement: (a) set a national precedent that displacement requires demonstrated rehabilitation; (b) inspired the Environmental Impact Assessment process being strengthened; (c) brought global attention to dam-displacement issues.

✦ Answer: NBA = Medha Patkar-led movement of 200,000+ displaced tribals/farmers against Sardar Sarovar Dam. Demanded: proper rehabilitation (land for land) BEFORE submergence — not just cash. Outcome: Supreme Court allowed dam but mandated rehabilitation as precondition; the movement forced India to take displacement compensation more seriously in future projects.

Practice — Water Resources

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