Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about India Water Resources from Class 10 Social Science. Water is an important natural resource. It is one of the basic requirements of human beings and it is a national property. This is being used for irrigation, hydro-electric power generation, industry, domestic use, transportation, fisheries and also for recreational purposes. The development of water resources has become very essential to satisfy the needs of growing population. As a natural resource, its judicious conservation is required. The water resources on the surface of the earth are the rivers and lakes. Wells and springs are ground water resources. The availability of water varies from region to region and time to time. Rainfall in India is uncertain, unreliable, unequally distributed. Agriculture depends on canals, tanks, well irrigation projects. [CHECKPOINT]
Irrigation means supply of water to agriculture from canals, wells and tanks artificially or manually. Irrigation is very essential in the regions of low rainfall. Irrigation is the most important development in the history of agriculture. With the available water for irrigation in India, a maximum of 141 million hectares can be irrigated. The net irrigated area is only 73 million hectares. At present India has the largest area under irrigation in the world. Let us look at some important data. The total volume of river water in India is 1869 billion cubic kilometers. Of this, usable water is only 690 million cubic kilometers. Available Ground water is 432 million cubic kilometers. The total available water volume is thus estimated at 1122 billion cubic kilometers. Also remember that 1 Hectare equals 2.47 Acre. [CHECKPOINT]
India being known for a variety of physical features, we can see the variation in the distribution of water resource too. Besides, based on the water requirement for agriculture, distribution of rainfall, physical features, types of crops and the types of agricultural methods used, various types of irrigation are in use in different places. Based on the source of irrigation, these can be divided into well irrigation, canal irrigation and tank irrigation. Well irrigation is the most important type of irrigation in India. It provides water to large areas of agricultural land. Supplying ground water by digging or drilling wells is called well irrigation. Well irrigation is more useful in low rainfall regions. [CHECKPOINT]
Construction and maintenance of wells is easier. Well irrigation becomes essential where the canals and tanks are not available. There are two types of wells: open wells and tube wells. Open wells are dug up in suitable agricultural land. Water is lifted from open wells through manual power, animals or with the help of diesel or electric pump set. Today in India’s well irrigation system, role of tube wells are very important. 59.7% of total well irrigation area and 33.7% of the total irrigated area comes under tube well irrigation. Canal irrigation is a very important system of irrigation in India. India is one of the important countries in the world using canal irrigation. [CHECKPOINT]
Vast areas of cultivable land can be irrigated by this method. In India about 16.5 million hectares are under canal irrigation. This is the second most important irrigation type after well irrigation. There are two types of canals: flood canals and perennial canals. Flood canals draw water directly from the river through canals without the help of any dams. When the river level is high the excess water passes through the canals. These are called flood canals. Perennial canals are formed when dams are constructed across the rivers and water is stored in the reservoirs. This water is provided for agriculture through canals, which are called perennial canals. [CHECKPOINT]
This type of canal networks can be seen in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Bihar. Please note this term for your exams. Cusecs refers to the water that flows per cubic feet per second. Tank irrigation has been practiced in India since ancient times. Small bunds are constructed across streams. Water is stored and supplied to cultivable areas through small canals or pipes. Tank irrigation is common in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Karnataka. In addition, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh also have tank irrigation. [CHECKPOINT]
I would like you to complete an activity here. List out the important tanks found in your surroundings. Mention your suggestions to conserve tanks and lakes. India has undertaken the construction of many multi purpose river valley projects for the maximum utilization of river water resources. These projects have other purposes besides providing water for agricultural use. Such projects are called multi-purpose river valley projects. The main aims of these projects are providing irrigation facility, production of hydro-electric power, prevention of floods, creating facility for water transportation, providing water for domestic and industrial use, preventing soil erosion, developing fisheries, and enhancing forest wealth. [CHECKPOINT]
Let us study the important multi-purpose river valley projects of India. First is the Damodar River Valley Project. This is the first multi-purpose river valley project of independent India. This project is the joint venture between the states of West Bengal and Bihar. This river was causing large scale destruction to life and property in West Bengal and, as such, it was called Sorrow of Bengal. To prevent destructions by the river, this project was taken up. This project has a total canal network of 2495 kilometers and supplies water for 4.5 lakh hectares of land. Dams have been constructed across Damodar river and its tributaries at Tilaiyya, Maithan, Konar and Panchet hill. [CHECKPOINT]
Thermal power stations have been established at Bokaro, Chandrapur and Durgapur. West Bengal and Jharkhand have been benefitted from this project. Second is the Bhakranangal Project. It is one of the important multi-purpose valley projects of India. This is the joint venture between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan state. Dams are constructed at Bhakra and Nangal of Himachal Pradesh across the Sutlej river. The Bhakra Dam has a canal network of about 3402 kilometers and provides irrigation to 14.6 lakh hectares. Delhi and Himachal Pradesh have benefitted from this project by way of getting irrigation and hydro-electric power. [CHECKPOINT]
The reservoir created by Bhakra dam is called Govinda Sagar. Bhakra dam is the second highest dam in India. Tehri dam is the highest dam in India. Third is the Kosi Project. The main objective of this project was to prevent floods. Kosi was called Sorrow of Bihar. This is a joint project between India and Nepal. A dam is built across Kosi river at Hanumanagar on the border of India and Nepal. This project provides irrigation facilities to 8.75 lakh hectares of land. 50% of the hydro-electric power generated by this project is supplied to Nepal. [CHECKPOINT]
Fourth is the Hirakud Project. This project is constructed across the Mahanadi, in Odisha near Sambalpur District Head Quarter. This river was known as Sorrow of Odisha on account of its frequent floods. Hirakud is the longest dam in the country, measuring 4801 meters in length. It provides irrigation facility to a total of 2.54 lakh hectares. This project provides irrigation facilities and hydro-electric power to Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh states. Fifth is the Tungabhadra project. Irrigation and generation of hydroelectric power are the main objectives of this project. [CHECKPOINT]
It is established jointly by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh states. This dam is built across Tungabhadra river at Mallapur near Hospet in Vijayanagara district. It provides hydro-electric power and irrigation facility to 5.5 lakh hectares in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The reservoir is called Pampa Sagara. Sixth is the Nagarjunasagar Project. This dam is constructed at Nandikonda village of Telangana across the river Krishna. Irrigation and generation of hydroelectric power are its main objectives. This provides irrigation facility to a total of 8.30 lakh hectares. Seventh is the Upper Krishna Project. [CHECKPOINT]
This is a major project of Karnataka. This project provides irrigation and drinking water to Yadgiri, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Raichur and Kalaburgi districts. It is constructed across the river Krishna near Alamatti of Vijayapura district. This has resulted in the formation of Lal Bahadur Shastri reservoir. Another dam is built near Narayanapura. The name of the reservoir is Basava Sagara. Together they provide irrigation facility to a total of 6.47 lakh hectares. Recently, hydro-electric power generation has also started. Eighth is the Narmada Valley Project. Narmada Project Authority was established since this project is entangled with many controversies right from its inception. [CHECKPOINT]
The dam is constructed between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh and a decision was arrived at by the Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal on the distribution of water. Narmada river has totally 23 dams across its length and Sardar Sarovar, Narmada Sagar and Narmada Upper Projects are the main ones. This project provides irrigation facility and hydro-electric power to North Gujarat, Rajasthan and a few areas of Maharashtra state. Regarding the map of Major Irrigation Projects in India, it shows the geographical distribution of these key projects across various states. You will see the Damodar project in the east covering West Bengal and Jharkhand. [CHECKPOINT]
You will also see the Bhakra Nangal and Kosi projects in the north, the Hirakud project in Odisha, the Tungabhadra and Upper Krishna projects in Karnataka, the Nagarjunasagar project in Telangana, and the Narmada Valley project stretching across Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Now let us move on to India’s major hydro-electric power projects. Hydro-electric power is the second important source of power in India. Hydro-electric power is generated to an extent of 13.90% of the total power generated in 2011. It is estimated that India has a potential to generate 410 billion kilowatts of hydro-electric power. But presently only 106.68 billion kilowatts power is being generated. [CHECKPOINT]
The following states have important hydro-electric power generation centres. Karnataka has Shivanasamudra, Tungabhadra, Jog, Bhadra, Alamatti, Kali, Supa, Kadra, and Kodasalli Dam. Andhra Pradesh has Srisailam project, Ramapadasagar Project, and Sileru project. Telangana has Nagarjunasagar. Tamil Nadu has Mettur project, Paikara electric project, Periyar project, Kundha project, Moyar project, and Kodayar project. Madhya Pradesh has Bansagar, Gandhisagar, and Pench Project. Maharashtra has Tata hydro-electric power project, Beera project, Vaitarana project, and Koyna project. Odisha has Hirakud project, Kolab project, Rangali project, and Naraja project. [CHECKPOINT]
Bihar has Kosi project. Gujarat has Kakrapara project, Kaadana project, and Ukai project. Jharkhand has Suvarnarekha project. In addition to the above, many other National Power Grid projects are found. Let us understand the National Power Grid. India generates power from various sources. All the states do not have sufficient electric power supply at all times. Hence, to supply power from surplus states to deficit states, a National Power Grid is established. With its help, excess power from any state can be supplied to any other power deficit state. [CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will learn about Rain Water Harvesting. Water is very precious. Although India has vast water resource, it is most unevenly distributed. Rainfall is confined to the rainy season. Even in areas of heavy rainfall, water shortage is seen during the summers. The only solution to the drought condition prevailing in India is Rain Water Harvesting. Collection of rain water is called Rain Water Harvesting. There are two types of rain water harvesting. First is collection of water at the place of rainfall, for example roof tops of houses and buildings. [CHECKPOINT]
Second is collection of flowing rainwater, for example building bunds and collecting water. Using the water collected from roof tops reduces the dependence on the public water supply. Digging ponds in agricultural areas and collecting water is another method. Building check dams to prevent the flow of water and allowing it to percolate to increase the ground water table is called recharging. Not only individuals, even communities can engage themselves in constructing bunds or digging small ponds to collect the rain water. In Karnataka, conservation of rainwater has been in practice from ancient times. [CHECKPOINT]
Tanks, lakes and ponds are all methods of conserving water. Failure to pay attention to these traditional methods has resulted in drought condition and water scarcity. By protecting and managing properly the water problem in the country can be reduced. Now let us proceed to the exercises. I will guide you through each question and provide the complete answers. Exercise One: Fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: The Sorrow of West Bengal was Damodar river. Question two: The Sorrow of Bihar was Kosi river. Question three: Biggest irrigation project of Karnataka is Upper Krishna Project. Question four: Pampa Sagara Dam is in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka. [CHECKPOINT]
Question five: Hirakud project is built across Mahanadi river. Exercise Two: Answer the following questions in brief. Question six: What is irrigation? What are the types of irrigation? Answer: Irrigation means supply of water to agriculture from canals, wells and tanks artificially or manually. The types of irrigation are well irrigation, canal irrigation, and tank irrigation. Question seven: What is multi-purpose river valley project? What are its objectives? Answer: Projects that have other purposes besides providing water for agricultural use are called multi-purpose river valley projects. Their objectives are providing irrigation facility, production of hydro-electric power, prevention of floods, creating facility for water transportation, providing water for domestic and industrial use, preventing soil erosion, developing fisheries, and enhancing forest wealth. [CHECKPOINT]
Question eight: Name the hydro-electric power projects of Karnataka. Answer: The hydro-electric power projects of Karnataka are Shivanasamudra, Tungabhadra, Jog, Bhadra, Alamatti, Kali, Supa, Kadra, and Kodasalli Dam. Question nine: Rain water harvesting is compulsory today. Why? Answer: Rain water harvesting is compulsory because although India has vast water resources, they are unevenly distributed. Rainfall is confined to the rainy season, and even in heavy rainfall areas, water shortage occurs during summers. The only solution to the prevailing drought condition and water scarcity is collecting and conserving rainwater through harvesting methods. Question ten: What is National Power Grid? [CHECKPOINT]
Answer: The National Power Grid is an established network to supply power from surplus states to deficit states. Since all states do not have sufficient electric power supply at all times, this grid allows excess power from any state to be supplied to any other power deficit state. Exercise Three: Match the following projects in column A with the corresponding reservoirs in column B. Please note that the textbook heading mentions states, but the options provided are actually reservoir names. The correct matches are: i. Bhakra dam matches with d. Govinda Sagar. ii. Tungabhadra dam matches with c. Pampa Sagar. iii. Almatti dam matches with a. Lalbahaddur Shastry Sagar. [CHECKPOINT]
iv. Narayanapura dam matches with b. Basava Sagar. Option e. Narmada Sagar is an extra option. Exercise Four: Activities. Activity one: List out the uses of multi-purpose river valley projects of India. Answer: The uses include providing irrigation facility, production of hydro-electric power, prevention of floods, creating facility for water transportation, providing water for domestic and industrial use, preventing soil erosion, developing fisheries, and enhancing forest wealth. Activity two: Visit a rain water harvesting project of your place and get more information. Answer: For this activity, you should locate a local rain water harvesting structure such as a rooftop collection system, a check dam, or a recharge pit in your neighborhood or school. [CHECKPOINT]
Observe how it collects runoff, how the water is stored or directed to recharge groundwater, and note the maintenance practices. Record your findings to understand practical implementation. Exercise Five: Projects. Project one: List the various types of irrigation facilities around you and learn the use of these methods. Answer: In your locality, you may find well irrigation using open wells or tube wells for lifting groundwater, canal irrigation drawing water from nearby rivers or dams, and tank irrigation using small bunds and reservoirs. Well irrigation is used for localized crop watering, canal irrigation covers large agricultural tracts efficiently, and tank irrigation stores monsoon runoff for dry season farming. [CHECKPOINT]
Project two: Write about an irrigation project which you have seen. Answer: Choose a project you have visited, such as a local tank, a canal network, or a major dam like the Upper Krishna or Tungabhadra. Describe its location, the river or water source it uses, its main purpose like irrigation or power generation, the area it benefits, and any observations about its structure or impact on local agriculture. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]