India: drainage and water resources
Water resources, irrigation and multipurpose projects
Practise 5 PYQsConcepts to cover
- India's water resources: surface and groundwater potential, sectoral use (irrigation dominant), thermal power as the largest industrial user
- Irrigation: canals, wells and tube wells, tanks; regional dominance of each
- Multipurpose projects and reservoirs by river and state: Bhakra Nangal, Hirakud, Damodar valley (Maithon, Panchet), Nagarjuna Sagar, Gandhi Sagar, Indira Sagar, Sardar Sarovar, Tehri, Tungabhadra, Ghataprabha, Aliyar, Isapur, Kangsabati
- Command Area Development Programme (1974-75) and Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (1996-97)
- Groundwater depletion, over-exploited blocks, arsenic and fluoride contamination
- Watershed management, rainwater harvesting (tankas, johads, kuls, bamboo drip), river interlinking
- Water requirement of crops: sugarcane and rice least water-efficient, millets and pulses most
Where to study
India: People and Economy, Class XII, chapter 4: Water Resources (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 4, Water Resources, p. 1-12 (book pages 41-52)
- ch. 4, Water Resources of India, p. 1 (book page 41)
- ch. 4, Water Demand and Utilisation, p. 2 (book page 42)
- ch. 4, Demand of Water for Irrigation, p. 2 (book page 42)
- ch. 4, Groundwater Resources, p. 2 (book page 42)
- ch. 4, Water Conservation and Management, p. 5-6 (book pages 45-46)
- ch. 4, Emerging Water Problems, p. 4 (book page 44)
- ch. 4, Deterioration of Water Quality, p. 4-5 (book pages 44-45)
- ch. 4, Watershed Management, p. 7-8 (book pages 47-48)
- ch. 4, Rainwater Harvesting, p. 10 (book page 50)
Contemporary India II, Class X, chapter 3: Water Resources (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 3, Water Resources, p. 1-11 (book pages 19-29)
- ch. 3, multi-purpose, p. 3-5 (book pages 21-23)
- ch. 3, Hirakud, p. 4-5 (book pages 22-23)
- ch. 3, bamboo drip, p. 10 (book page 28)
Geography of India · Majid Husain
- ch. 3, Drainage Systems and Water Resources
India: People and Economy, Class XII, chapter 6: Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 6, Command Area, p. 7 (book page 72)
India: People and Economy, Class XII, chapter 3: Land Resources and Agriculture (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 3, water, p. 6 (book page 26)