Water Resources Class 10 Social Science Exam Questions

Please refer to Water Resources Class 10 Social Science Exam Questions provided below. These questions and answers for Class 10 Social Science have been designed based on the past trend of questions and important topics in your class 10 Social Science books. You should go through all Class 10 Social Science Important Questions provided by our teachers which will help you to get more marks in upcoming exams.

Class 10 Social Science Exam Questions Water Resources

Class 10 Social Science students should read and understand the important questions and answers provided below for Water Resources which will help them to understand all important and difficult topics.

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question. In which region, people built ‘Guls’ or ‘Kuls’ for irrigation?
Answer : Western Himalayas.

Question. Name any one river valley project which has significantly contributed to the loss of forests.
Answer : Sardar Sarovar Dam.

Question. Which water is recharged by rooftop rainwater harvesting technique?
Answer : Groundwater.

Question. In which state prevalent? bamboo drip irrigation, is
Answer : Meghalaya.

Question. What are the causes of water scarcity ?
Answer : Rapid growth of population, uneven distribution of water resources and excessive exploitation of water resources.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question. “India is heading towards water scarcity.” Trace the possible solutions to tackle this problem.
Answer : Possible solutions to tackle water scarcity
(i) Rainwater harvesting
(ii) Bamboo drip irrigation system
(iii) Avoiding wastage of water in day to day life activities
(iv) Recycling of used water

Question. Describe any three traditional methods of rainwater harvesting adopted in different parts of India.
OR
“Rainwater harvesting system is viable alternative both socio- economically and environmentally”. Support the statement with three examples.
OR
Describe any three different rainwater harvesting systems practised in India.
Answer : In India people have been practising rainwater harvesting for many years. This practice of water conservation is very economical and can be molded as per suits the social and cultural values of a region. Moreover, multipurpose projects have faced resistance for different social groups. Hence, rainwater harvesting is regarded as more viable option socio-economically.
Different methods of rainwater harvesting practised in India are:
(i) In hilly and mountainous regions, people build diversion channels like ‘gul’ or ‘kul’ in western Himalaya for agriculture.
(ii) Rooftop rainwater harvesting was commonly practised to store drinking water particularly in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
(iii) In West Bengal, people develop inundation channels to irrigate their fields.
(iv) In semi-arid regions, agricultural fields are converted into rainfed storage structures that allow the water to stand and moist the soil.

Question. How have intensive industrialisation and urbanisation posed a great pressure on existing fresh water resources in India? Explain.
OR
How does urbanisation and urban lifestyle lead to over exploitation of water resources? Explain.
OR
How have intensive industrialisation and urbanisation posed a great pressure on existing fresh water resources in India? Explain.
OR
How has the ever increasing number of industries in India made the situation worse by exerting pressure on existing fresh water resources? Explain.
Answer : Increasing number of industries are exerting pressure on freshwater resources in the following way:
(i) Industries are heavy users of water.
(ii) More demand for hydroelectric power.
(iii) Industrial wastes and effluent are discharged into rivers causing water pollution.
(iv) Multiplication of urban centres, due to intensive industrialisation has caused pressure on water resources in the following way:
a. These urban centers are highly populated and hence and hence the demand for fresh water is very high.
b. Lifestyle of people in urban areas creates even more pressure on freshwater resources.

Question. Mention any four main objectives of multipurpose river valley projects. Name any two multipurpose projects of India.
OR
What is a multi-purpose river valley project? mention any four objectives of it.
Answer : A river project where many uses of the impounded water are integrated with one another is known as multipurpose project. The purposes served by a multipurpose river project are: irrigation, power generation, water supply, flood control, recreation, etc.

Question. What is bamboo drip irrigation? Mention any two features of it.
Answer : (i) Bamboo drip irrigation system is a 200 years old system of tapping stream and spring water by using bamboo pipe and transporting water through hundreds of meters from higher to lower regions by means of gravity.
(ii) Features :
(a) Nearly 18-20 liters of water enter the bamboo pipe system, get transported over hundreds of meters and finally reduced to 20-80 drops per minute at the site of the plant.
(b) The flow of water into the pipes is controlled by manipulating the pipe positions.

Question. List any three advantages and three disadvantages of multi- purpose river project.
OR
What are the advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose river project?
Answer :Advantages :
(i) These are the main source of power generation.
(ii) They provide us with neat, pollution free and cheapest energy which is the backbone of industry and agriculture.
(iii) These projects control the floods because water storage is effectively provided for These projects have converted many, “rivers of sorrows” into “rivers of boon”.
(iv) These projects are the main source of irrigation and also help in conserving soil.
Disadvantages:
(i) Due to the construction of dams, there are no adequate floods in the river. Because of this, the soil of the downstream region does not get nutrient-rich silt.
(ii) Dams also fragment rivers making it difficult for aquatic fauna to migrate for spawning, i.e., to produce eggs.
(iii) It results in the displacement of local communities.
(iv) The multi-purpose projects induce earthquake.
(v) Construction of dams causes waterborne diseases caused waterborne diseases.

Question. Explain the working of underground tanks as a part of rooftop rainwater harvesting system practised in Rajasthan.
OR
How were the underground tanks beneficial to the people of Rajasthan? Explain.
OR
Discuss how rainwater harvesting in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan is carried out.
Answer : (i) In semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan, almost all the houses traditionally had underground tanks for storing drinking water.
(ii) The tanks can be as large as big rooms.
(iii) The tanks are part of the well-developed rooftop rainwater harvesting system.
(iv) Tanks are connected to the sloping roofs of the houses through a pipe.
(v) Rain falling on these rooftops travel down the pipe and gets stored in these underground tanks.
(vi) Usually, first rainwater is not collected. It is used to clean the rooftop and the pipe

Question. Highlight any three hydraulic structures as part of water management programmes initiated in ancient India along with the period when they were built.
Answer : Sophisticated hydraulic structures like dams build of stone rubble, reservoirs or lakes, embankments and canals for irrigation were built in various regions of the country.
(i) A sophisticated water harvesting system channelling the flood water of river Ganga was built at Sringaverapura near Allahabad in the 1st century BCE.
(ii) Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh, Bennur in Karnataka, Kolhapur in Maharashtra and Kalinga in Odisha have evidence of irrigation structures.
(iii) In the 11th century CE, Bhopal Lake, one of the largest artificial lakes of its time was built.
(iv) The tank in Hauz Khas, Delhi was constructed by Iltutmish in the 14th century CE to supply water to the Siri Fort area.

Question. “Water scarcity in most cases is caused by over exploitation, excessive use and unequal access to water among different social groups”. Explain the meaning of the statement with the help of examples.
Answer : (i) Due to large and growing population, water resources are being over-exploited to expand irrigated areas and dry season agriculture.
(ii) Most farmers have their own wells and tubewells for irrigation to increase their produce. This leads to fall in groundwater level.
(iii) The ever-increasing industries have made matters worse by exerting pressure on freshwater resources. Much of the energy required for industries comes from hydroelectric power.
(iv) Coming up of new urban centres, changing lifestyle, more requirement of energy and water etc. have aggravated the problems.
(v) Lot of people can’t get water because they live in remote areas which are far off from water sources because they are poor and can not have their own water arrangements.

Question. Why is groundwater a highly overused resource?
Answer : Groundwater is a highly overused resource because of the following reasons :
(i) Growing population has continuously created a high demand for water.
(ii) This growing population doesn’t have equal access to the sources of fresh water.
(iii) To facilitate higher food grain production for a large population, water resources are being over exploited to expand irrigated areas for dry season agriculture.
(iv) In the cities, every housing society or colony is exploiting groundwater for daily use with the help of pumping devises.

Question. Why is there a need to develop rainwater harvesting system in India ? Explain.
Answer : Development of rainwater harvesting :
(i) Rainwater harvesting system is a viable alternative – socio economically and environmentally.
(ii) Due to increase in population, demand for water is increasing, so rain water harvesting system is essential.
(iii) There is an uneven distribution of rainfall.
(iv) Nature of soil varies.
(v) There is a need to recharge groundwater.
(vi) Change in lifestyle has led to increased consumption of water.

Question. Why did Jawaharlal Nehru proclaim the dams as the “temples of modern India”? Give any three reasons.
Answer : Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed the dams as the “temples of modern India” because :
(i) They eliminate or reduce flooding.
(ii) They provide water for agriculture.
(iii) They provide water for human and industrial consumption.
(iv) They provide hydroelectricity for houses and industries.