Page 332 - New Medley 4 Semester 1

Well and tubewell irrigation is popular in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat,

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana and
Tamil Nadu. These sources of irrigation have helped in the success of

the Green Revolution in India.

In the Deccan Plateau of India, the rocks are very hard. A well or tubewell

cannot be dug. There are many depressions in the surface. These depressions
get filled with water during the rainy season. These are called the tanks

or ponds. Most of the tanks or ponds are of small size. The water from
these tanks is used for domestic purposes as well as for irrigating the

fields in the dry season.

Tank irrigation is widely practised in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,

Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and West Bengal. Most of the
tanks or ponds dry up in the dry season and fail to supply water for

irrigation, when it is most needed.

• Critical thinking
Write True or False.

1. Water is a man-made resource.
2. About 33 per cent of total water found on the Earth is salty.
3. India does not receive the same amount of water everywhere.
4. Irrigation system refers to the supply of drinking water to homes.

Conservation of Water Resources

The shortage of water in many parts of India is due to unequal distribution

and excessive use. The demand for water in our country is increasing.
There is also a large-scale pollution of river water. Thus, water must

be conserved for balanced and adequate supply of water for domestic
purposes, agriculture and industries. We should never waste water. Every

drop counts. We should encourage water harvesting.

AT ONE GO

 About 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water.
 About 3 per cent of the available water is fresh water.

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