10th Class Social Science Water Resources

  • question_answer 7)
    Answer the following questions in about 120 words.    (i) Discuss how rainwater is harvesting in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan carried out.   (ii) Describe how are modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting methods being carried out to conserve and store water?  

    Answer:

    (i) In semi-arid regions of Rajasthan every house had underground tankas to store the water for drinking purposes. These tankas are large and deep tanks which were built inside the main house or the courtyard. They were linked to the sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe. Rainwater falling on the rooftops would run down through the pipe and collect in the underground tankas. The rainwater collected was stored in the underground tankas providing drinking water till the next seasons. When all other sources have dried up, these tankas were beneficial to beat the summer heat as they kept the rooms cool. The rainwater or polar pani, as it was commonly known in these parts, is considered the purest form of natural water.   (ii) Modern adaptations of traditional rainwater harvesting include   (a) 'Rooftop rainwater harvesting' is practiced in semi-arid areas of Rajasthan to store drinking water.   (b) In hills and mountainous regions people build diversion channels like that in the Western Himalayas for agriculture.   (c) In arid and semi-arid regions, agricultural fields were converted into rain fed storage structures that allowed the water to stagnate and moisten the soil like the ‘Khadins’ in Jaisalmer and the ‘Johads’ in other parts of Rajasthan.    (d) In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate their fields.    (e) Bamboo drip irrigation system is also being used in Meghalaya and other states in the North-East of India.  


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