Question.
What is water scarcity and what are its main causes?
( Chapter - 3 -Water Resources, Cass X NCERT Contemporary India -II )
Answer.
If the demand for water at the local level is not being met locally, then this situation is called water scarcity.
Despite three-quarters of the Earth's surface being covered by water and water being a renewable resource, water scarcity is common across much of the Earth.
The following are the main causes of water scarcity:
- large population
- over-exploitation of water
- excessive use of water
- unequal access to water among different social communities
- little rain
- Water Pollution
In some areas, despite having sufficient water resources, water is scarce, mainly due to the increasing population. For example, Delhi NCR has substantial surface water and groundwater resources, yet, due to its large population, faces water scarcity.
Agriculture is the largest consumer of water resources. Due to agriculture even in the dry season, there is excessive exploitation of water in the area, as a result of which they have to face water scarcity. In Punjab and Haryana, the groundwater table is depleting very fast due to the over-exploitation of groundwater.
Due to the use of flood irrigation techniques for agriculture and inefficient water conservation techniques in industries, there is excessive use of water which causes water scarcity. According to an estimate, India uses three to four times more water than some developed countries for the same agricultural product.
Even within the region, some communities use more water than other communities, making water scarce. For example, most of the slum areas in the urban center face water scarcity due to low access to water.
Surface runoff and rainfall are the major sources of water for any region. Less rainfall also causes water scarcity.
Water pollution is also a major cause of water scarcity. Most of the surface water bodies in urban centers are polluted and which makes them unsuitable for consumption leading to water scarcity.
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