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Water, Sustainability, and Classification of Water Bodies

Water is the essence of life, sustaining ecosystems, societies, and economies. Understanding water requires both a sustainability perspective (its role, use, and governance) and a classification perspective (types, sources, and distribution). Together, these views help us see water as both a biophysical resource and a cultural and social entity.

1. Importance of Water in Sustainability

  • Omnipresence of Water

    • Covers ~74% of the planet’s surface.
    • Essential for all life forms: plants, animals, humans.
    • No food, energy, or industrial production is possible without water.

  • Water as Omnipotent and Omniscient

    • Force of nature: rains, hurricanes, tsunamis, glacial drifts.
    • The same water cycles through history (e.g., from dinosaurs to today).

  • Cultural Significance

    • Festivals: Holi, Chhath Puja, Kumbh Mela.
    • Bollywood songs, folk traditions, and rituals revolve around water.

  • Global Comparisons

    • India: ~1400 cubic meters/person/year.
    • Canada: ~100,000 cubic meters/person/year.
    • Israel & Australia: models of water management, but cannot be directly copied due to contextual differences.

2. Water Crisis and Challenges

  • Forms of Crisis

    • Not just scarcity but also flooding and poor distribution.
    • Regional disparities:
      • Mawsynram (Meghalaya) → >11,000 mm rainfall/year.
      • Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) → ~250 mm rainfall/year.

  • Efficiency Concerns

    • Example: China produces 3 kg of rice with same water where global average is 1 kg.

  • Emerging Innovations

    • Air-to-Water: extracting water from air (similar to air conditioners).
    • Reducing food wastage: ~2000 liters of water needed for one meal.

3. Classification of Water Bodies

Water bodies can be understood through ownership, nature, and type of flow.

3.1 By Ownership

  • Private: Wells in household compounds.
  • Community: Village ponds.
  • Government: Urban water supply stations.

3.2 By Salinity

  • Freshwater: Drinkable sources (rivers, springs, some lakes).
  • Saline Water: Seas, oceans, and saline lakes.

3.3 By Origin

  • Natural: Rivers, lakes, oceans, glaciers.
  • Manmade: Reservoirs, tanks, Bawris, Tankas.

3.4 By Location

  • Surface Water: Visible (rivers, lakes, ponds).
  • Groundwater: Stored underground through percolation.

3.5 By Movement

  • Flowing: Rivers, streams.
  • Still: Lakes, ponds.

4. Examples of Water Bodies

CategoryExamples
Oceans (Saline)Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea
Rivers (Flowing)Ganga, Yamuna
Lakes (Fresh/Saline)Wular Lake (fresh), Sambhar (saline)
Manmade ReservoirsHirakud Dam, Tankas, Bawris
GroundwaterOpen wells, tube wells
Snow/IceHimalayan glaciers

5. Water and Monsoon Dependence in India

  • Rainfall concentrated in ~100–120 days (Chaumasa).
  • South Asia is a “storage civilization” → traditions of building lakes, reservoirs, and tankas to conserve monsoon water.
  • Example: Rajasthan’s stepwells (Bawris) showcase indigenous storage methods.

Exam Tip

When answering exam questions, always link classification of water bodies with sustainability challenges. For example, mention how groundwater overuse threatens sustainability or how regional rainfall variations require context-specific water management. Using examples (Mawsynram vs. Jaisalmer, China’s rice productivity, Tankas in Rajasthan) will make your answers stronger and more application-oriented.

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