1) GIVE A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH OVER UTILIZATION OF SURFACE AND
GRUND WATER
A) Water resources are sourcs of water that are useful or potentially usefl to humans.Sources of
fresh water can be classified as SURFACE WATER & GROUND WATER.Surface water is water in a
river,lake or fresh water wetland.Surface water is naturally replenished by precipitation and
naturally lost through discharge to the oceans,evaporation,and su surface seepage.Ground water is
fresh water located in the pore space of soil and rocks.it is also water that is flowing within aquifers
below the water table.sometimes it is useful to make a distinction between sub-surface water that is
closely associated with surface water and deep subsurface water.
Groundwater depletion is primarily caused by sustained groundwater pumping. Some of the
negative effects of groundwater depletion:
Lowering of the Water Table
Excessive pumping can lower the groundwater table, and cause wells to no longer be able to reach
groundwater.
Increased Costs
As the water table lowers, the water must be pumped farther to reach the surface, using more
energy. In extreme cases, using such a well can be cost prohibitive.
Reduced Surface Water Supplies
Groundwater and surface water are connected. When groundwater is overused, the lakes, streams,
and rivers connected to groundwater can also have their supply diminished.
Land Subsidence
Land subsidence occurs when there is a loss of support below ground. This is most often caused by
human activities, mainly from the overuse of groundwater, when the soil collapses, compacts, and
drops.
Water Quality Concerns
Excessive pumping in coastal areas can cause saltwater to move inland and upward, resulting in
saltwater contamination of the water supply
2 )HOW CAN WE TACKLE THE TWIN PROBLMS OF FLOOS AND DROUGHTS
Drought is lack or insufficiency of rain for an extended period that causes considerable hydrologic
imbalances and consequently water shortages, stream flow reductions and depletion of
groundwater levels and soil moisture. Drought is the most serious physical hazard to agriculture in
nearly every part of the world.
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land.It is useually due to the mass of
water within a body of water,such as a river or lake,exceeding the total capacity of the body and as a
result some of the water flows or sits outside of the normal perimeter of the body.A flood that rises
and falls rapidly with little or no advance warning is a flash flood.
Methods of flood prevention
Humans cannot stop the rains from falling or stop flowing surface water from bursting its banks.
These are natural events, but we can do something to prevent them from having great impact. Here
are a few.
problems caused by floods:
Sea / Coastal Defence Walls flood prevention
Sea walls and tide gates have been built in some places to prevent tidal waves from pushing the
waters up ashore. In some areas too, sand bags are made and placed in strategic areas to retain
floodwaters.
Retaining walls
In some places, retaining walls levees, lakes, dams, reservoirs or retention ponds have been
constructed to hold extra water during times of flooding.
Planning
It is important that builders acquire permission before buildings are erected. This will ensure that
that waterways are not blocked. Also drainage systems must be covered and kept free from objects
that chock them. This way, water can quickly run through if it rains and minimize any chance of town
flooding. Drainage systems should also be covered to prevent litter from getting into them.
Vegetation
Trees, shrubs and grass help protect the land from erosion by moving water. People in low-lying
areas must be encouraged to use a lot of vegetation to help break the power of moving flood water
and also help reduce erosion.
Education
In many developing countries, drainage systems are chocked with litter and people have little
knowledge of the effects that can have during a rain. When it rains, waterways and culverts are
blocked by massive chunks of litter and debris, and water finds its way into the streets and into
peoples homes. Education is therefore very important, to inform and caution people on the dangers
of floods, what causes floods, and what can be done to minimise its impact.
Detention basin
These are small reservoirs built and connected to waterways. They provide a temporary storage for
floodwaters. This means in an event of flooding, water is drained into the basin first, giving people
more time to evacuate. It can also reduce the magnitude of downstream flooding.
Drought is a natural hazard, it has a slow onset, and it evolves over months or even years. It may
affect a large region and causes little structural damage. The impacts of drought can be reduced
through preparedness and mitigation.
Drought preparedness and mitigation can be accomplished with the following practices: (1) soil and
water conservation.
Soil and Water Conservation
Conservation practices minimize the disruption of the soil's structure, composition and natural
biodiversity, thereby reducing erosion and soil degradation, surface runoff, and water pollution. The
following are established practices of soil and water conservation:
Crop rotation
Contoured rowcrops
Terracing
Tillage practices
Erosion-control structures
Water retention and detention structures
Windbreaks and shelterbelts
Litter management
Reclamation of salt-affected soil.
A shelterbelt to reduce wind velocity and evapotranspiration
Soil and water conservation can be approached through agronomic and engineering measures.
Agronomic measures include contour farming, off-season tillage, deep tillage, mulching and
providing vegetative barriers on the contour. These measures prevent soil erosion and increase soil
moisture.
Engineering measures differ with location, slope of the land, soil type, and amount and intensity of
rainfall. Measures commonly used are the following:
Contour bunds, trenches and stone walls
These features prevent soil erosion and obstruct the flow of runoff. The retained water increases soil
moisture and recharges the groundwater.
Check dams and other gully-plugging structures
Check dams are temporary structures constructed with locally available materials. Types of check
dams are the brush-wood dam (Fig. 2 a), the loose-rock dam (Fig. 2 b) and the woven-wire dam.
Percolation ponds
These features store water for livestock and recharge the groundwater. They are constructed by
excavating a depression to form a small reservoir, or by constructing an embankment in a natural
ravine or gully to form an impoundment.
Check dams made out of brush wood
Check dams made out of loose rock
Water-supply projects can also be implemented for drought mitigation, with a view to strengthen
drought preparedness. Activities such as water-use planning, rain-water harvesting, runoff collection
using surface and underground structures, improved management of channels and wells,
exploration of additional water resources through drilling and dam construction, are implemented as
a part of a drought-mitigation plan.
To increase moisture availability, the following in-situ moisture-conservation practices can be
adopted:
For agricultural crops, measures include ridges and furrows, basins, and water spreading.
For tree crops, measures include saucer basins (Fig. 3), semi-circular bunds, crescent-shaped bunds,
catch pits and deep pitting.
Rainwater harvesting collects rainfall or moisture for immediate or eventual use in irrigation or
domestic supplies. Part of the rainwater collected from roofs can be stored in a cistern or tank for
later use.
Landscape contouring is used to direct runoff into areas planted with trees, shrubs, and turf.
Olive grove in Andalucia, Spain, showing saucer basins to contain precipitation
Farmers can prepare for drought by developing plans which cover all aspects of farm management
and take into account variable climatic conditions. Sustainable strategies include appropriate fencing
to control overgrazing, pest-control measures, planting drought-resistant crops and pasture,
stabilization of eroded soils, pruning plants to reduce leaf area, removing weak plants and thinning
dense beds to reduce competition, and the protection of native plant species.
3) GIVE DETAILS OF ANY CONFLICT OVER WATER
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — For decades this rural basin has battled over the Klamath River's most
precious resource: water that sustains fish, irrigates farms and powers the hydroelectric dams that
block one of the largest salmon runs on the West Coast.
Now, one of the nation's fiercest water wars is on the verge of erupting again.
New water rights have given a group of Oregon Indian tribes an upper hand just as the region
plunges into a severe drought.
Farmers and wildlife refuges could be soon cut off by the Klamath Tribes, which in March were
granted the Upper Klamath Basin's oldest water rights to the lake and tributaries that feed the
mighty river flowing from arid southern Oregon to the foggy redwoods of the Northern California
coast.
Within weeks, the 3,700-member tribes are poised to make use of their new rights to maintain
water levels for endangered Lost River and Shortnose suckers, fish they traditionally harvested for
food. Under the "first in time, first in right" water doctrine that governs the West, the Klamath Tribes
can cut off other water users when the river runs low.
Low flows have already raised tensions between tribes and farmers who draw from the river's
headwaters. Cutting off water this year could dry up farmland and bring that looming conflict to a
head.
"A lot of people's water could be shut off, and that has huge implications and it affects peoples'
livelihoods to the core," said Jeff Mitchell, a tribal council member and its lead negotiator on water
issues. "But I also look at our fishery that is on the brink of extinction. We have a responsibility to
protect that resource, and we'll do what we need to do to make sure that the fish survive."
The tribes' cutting off water could also spell the end to a fragile truce that was supposed to bring
lasting peace to the river. A coalition of farmers, fishermen, tribes and environmentalists forged the
Klamath Restoration Agreements three years ago to resolve the distribution of water and restore
habitat and bring back salmon by removing four hydroelectric dams. But the deal has languished in
Congress, and a year of drought and discord could unravel it for good.
Before the attempt at compromise, the Klamath had lurched from crisis to crisis for more than a
decade: water shut-offs that left farmland fallow, flows so low they caused a mass fish die-off,
recurring toxic algae blooms that fouled reservoirs, and salmon population declines that closed 700
miles of coastline to fishing.
The tribes fear that exercising their new water rights will make them a target for retaliation or
violence. Klamath County is 86% white, and the long history between Indians and some farmers is
strained.
Some of the farmers resented payments that some tribal members received after the U.S.
government terminated their federal recognition and dissolved their reservation in the 1950s.
In recent months, members monitoring water levels have reported being threatened by farmers,
and the tribes have sought assurances from law enforcement that they will be protected. State
officials have taken the unusual step of assembling a 15-person Klamath Action Team to protect
public safety and stave off water conflicts as the region plunges into a severe drought, said Richard
Whitman, natural resources policy advisor to Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber.
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4 )WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH DAMS
Dams - Benefits and problems
DAMS - BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS
Dams are built across rivers to store water for irrigation, hydroelectric power generation and flood
control. The dams built to serve more than one purpose are called "multi-purpose dams". These
dams were called the "temples of modern India" by the country's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal
Nehru.
BENEFITS OF DAMS
1)Dams are built to control flood and store flood water.
2)Sometimes dams are used for diverting part or all of the water from river into a channel.
3)Dams are used mainly for drinking and agricultural purposes.
4)Dams are built for generating electricity
5)Dams are used for recreational purposes
6)Navigation and fishery can be developed in the dam areas
PROBLEMS OF DAMS
1) Dams may face problems upstream or downstream as listed below:
2)Upstream problems
3)Displacement of tribal people
4)Loss of non-forest land
5)Loss of forests, flora and fauna
6)Landslides, sedimentation and siltation occurs
7)stagnation and waterlogging around reservoirs retards plant growth
8)Breeding of vectors and vector-borne diseases
9)Reservoir Induced Seismicity (RIS) causes earthquakes
10)Navigation and aquaculture activities can be developed in the dam area
Downstream problems
1)Water logging and salinity due to over irrigation
2)Reduced water flow and silt deposition in rivers
3)Salt intrusion at river mouth
4)Since the sediments carrying nutrients gets deposited in the reservoir, the fertility of the land
along the river gets reduced
5)Due to structural defects or faulty design of the dam may cause sudden dam failure leading to
collapse and destruction to life and property.
5 )EXPLAIN THE USE AND EXPLOITATION ,ENVIORNMENTAL EFFECTS OF EXTRACTING MINERAL
RESOURCES
Mining industry being site-specific and located in tribal and interior areas provides employment to
local people directly in mines. In fact mining activity can be a vehicle in the uplift of socio-economic
status of the local people. The Indian mining industry is characterised by a large number of small
mines.
Environmental Effects of Extracting and Using Mineral Resources
The scale and level of requirement of minerals have increased manifold in our country and it is
heading towards the stage where much larger consumption of minerals will be inevitable to sustain
even the minimum growth rate of our economy.
Although the area occupied for mining activity is small yet the damage to the environment on
account of mining is causing grave concern. Environmental degradation resulting from mining
activity in general can be briefly enumerated as follows:
1. Air pollution with dust and gases due to drilling, blasting, mine haulage and transportation by
road, and also from waste heaps;
2. Water pollution when atomic elements and other harmful elements are present in the
ore/mineral mine effluents;
3. Modifying water regimes such as surface flow, groundwater availability and lowering down of
water table;
4. Soil erosion, soil modification with dust and salt;
5. Noise and vibration problem in the mine and adjoining habitat including wild life;
6. Alteration of the landform;
7. Deforestation affecting flora and fauna; and
8. Spoiling aesthetics with untreated waste dumps.
The impact of mining in environmental degradation has been receiving attention in recent years.
An overwhelmingly large number of small mines being open pit mines, land degradation including
deforestation take place consequent to mineral exploitation where the extent of damage caused by
mining may not be significant individually, the cumulative effect, especially by a cluster of mines,
becomes fairly large.
Air pollution is quite common due to blasting and transportation of minerals and very largely by
crushing units where such crushing is essential for marketing the mineral.
Even unestablished waste dumps cause air pollution and wash off during monsoon. Over burden and
waste generated during mining, degrade land and can pollute adjoining farmlands and water
sources.