CONTENTS WHAT IS WATER AND ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION. SOURCES OF WATER . IMPORTANCE OF WATER AND ITS ESSENTIALITY . WATER CONSERVATION AND ITS IMPORTANCE METHODS OF WATER CONSERVATION CASE STUDY
WHAT IS WATER AND ITS CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:- DEFINITION:- The clear liquid that has no colour , taste, or smell, that falls from clouds as rain, that forms streams, lakes, and seas, and that is used for drinking, washing, etc. Chemically water is a polar inorganic compound with a formula of H 2 O. At room temperature it is tasteless , odourless etc. It is amphoteric , meaning that it is both acidic and basic in Nature. Bio.miami.edu
Sources of Water:- Rainwater, oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, ponds and springs are natural sources of water. Dams, wells, tube wells, hand-pumps, canals, etc, are man-made sources of water. Rain Water: - Rain water collects on the earth in the form of surface water and underground water. Surface Water:- Water present on the surface of the earth in the form of oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds and streams is called surface water. Underground Water:- Some of the rainwater seeps through the soil on to the non- porous rocks below . This is underground water.
IMPORTANCE OF WATER AND ITS ESSENTIALITY:- What is the importance of water? Water is one of the most important substances on earth. All plants and animals must have water to survive. If there was no water there would be no life on earth . Why is water essential to life on Earth? Water is the solvent that transports many essential molecules and other particles around the body. These include nutrients and waste products from the body's metabolic processes. Particles such as some ions and molecules need to be able to move around biological organisms. Life is possible on earth due to the presence of water. Nearly three-fourths of the earth's surface is covered with water. It is present in air in the form of water vapour . About 70 per cent of the human body is water . The bodies of all plants and animals contain water .
DEFINITION :- Water conservation includes all the policies, strategies and activities made to manage fresh water as a sustainable resource, to protect the water environment, and to meet current and future human demand. Population, household size, and growth and affluence all affect how much water is used . Importance of water conservation:- Fresh, clean water is a limited resource. While most of the planet is covered in water , it is salt water that can only be consumed by humans and other species after undergoing desalination, which is an expensive process. WATER CONSERVATION:-
Methods to conserve the water:- 1. Basic ways to conserve water in daily use:-
2.RAIN WATER HARVESTING :- Rainwater harvesting is a technique of collection and storage of rainwater into natural reservoirs or tanks, or the infiltration of surface water into subsurface aquifers (before it is lost as surface runoff). One method of rainwater harvesting is rooftop harvesting . Steps involved in this method :- Setting up a collection system: Create or identify a surface suitable for rain water collection. Setup a collection point for water on the catchment. Connect the collection point to a conveyance system. Creating a storage and retrieval system: Install a storage system that can work close to your home. Connect the storage unit to the conveyance system. Develop a system for water retrieval. Add filtration mechanisms.
Ref: Waterfieldindia.com
METHODS USED BY FARMERS FOR WATER CONSERVATION DURING IRRIGATION:- 3(a).DRIP IRRIGATION:- Drip irrigation systems deliver water directly to a plant's roots, reducing the evaporation that happens with spray watering systems. Devoto Gardens and Twin Girls Farm are a few of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market farms that irrigate their crops with drip irrigation lines. Drip systems are generally more efficient than conventional sprinklers, because they deliver low volumes of water directly to plants' roots, minimizing losses to wind, runoff, evaporation, or overspray . Drip irrigations systems use 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional pop-up sprinkler .
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3(b). SOIL MANAGEMENT:- Proper soil management is a key to conserving water. It is the soil that absorbs, transmits and holds the water for crops to use and there is much a farmer can do to manipulate the nature of soil, and is especially helpful if the soil quality is compromised. Various techniques farmers may consider include conservation tillage, using compost and utilizing cover for crops . 3(c). WEATHER APPS:- Some farmers may be inclined to set an automated irrigation schedule and let it run regardless of the weather . Adjusting irrigation systems to work in better harmony with natural precipitation takes more work, but it is an inarguable way to save significant amounts of water. There are numerous weather apps available that provide up-to-the-second precipitation reports. Using these along with irrigation systems can help save water, which will save farmers money and reduce wear and tear on systems.
4. PROTECTION OF WATER FROM POLLUTION :- If the total fresh water available on the earth remains pollution free, it is sufficient to meet the drinking water needs of the existing population of the world, unfortunately a large portion of fresh water does not remain fit for use of the living world due to increasing economic activities, urbanization etc . Oceanic water in the form of ecological system of seas is an important environmental system, but during the last century pollution has spread in large proportions. 5. CONSERVING WATER IN INDUSTRIES:- About 23 per cent of total fresh water available on the earth is used by industries over the world . Some special industries consume water to a large extent, whereas some industries pollute the major portion of water . Dyeing industry and leather industry are such type of industries which pollute the water .
5.INCREASING FOREST COVERS:- According to hydrological movements, water is received through rainfall every year in different quantities on the surface of the earth. This water flows on the surface and reaches the seas. Some part of rainwater is stored in stable water reservoirs (lakes and tanks), whereas some quantity of water infiltrates into the land and takes the form of groundwater. Due to increasing deforestation during the last century, most of the rainwater flowed away to the saline seas without infiltrating into the ground . As a result of it, rain water flows away very fast to the rivers.
CASE STUDY :- JAL JAGRUTI ABHIYAN MAHARASHTRA DURATION :- 2013 UPTO PRESENT PLACE :- LATUR, MAHARASHTRA The only source of water in Latur , a district Of Maharashtra, is rains . In recent years, owing to the erratic nature of the monsoons and the overuse of ground water, drought has become fairly common in this area. Over the course of many dry summers, all water sources including local rivers, streams have dried and ground water has been exhausted. In many areas, the farmers have barely any water left for drinking, let alone farming .
How did they work under this project? They started working proactively for water retention and were taking up more responsibility of the issues that they were facing. They employed the following strategies on this project: De-silting existing rivers and water streams to recharge the ground water table Planting trees alongside the river course Teaching the villagers to do away with water guzzling chemical fertilizers and switch to organic farming Introducing the villagers to drip irrigation.