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Water - A Precious Resource

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Water - A Precious Resource

Uploaded by

pamarthijagadeeshwari
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Important Questions for Class 7

Science
Chapter 16 – Water: A Precious Resource

Very Short Answer Questions 1 mark

1. When is World Water Day celebrated? What is its significance?


Ans: Every year on March 22nd, World Water Day is celebrated. This is done to
draw attention to the world's depleting water resources and the need to conserve
them.

2. What is the minimum amount of water recommended by the UN per day?


Ans: The United Nations recommends that each person uses 50 litres of water every
day including drinking, cooking, washing, and basic sanitation.

3. What year was celebrated as the International Year of Freshwater and what
was its significance?
Ans: The International Year of Freshwater was declared in 2003 to raise awareness
about dwindling freshwater supplies and the need for conservation.

4. What is a water table?


Ans: The water table is the upper limit of the soil or earth beneath which the soil is
always saturated with water. Water is usually present beneath the water table. The
water table level varies from place to place and can fluctuate over time.

5. What is an aquifer?

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Ans: Aquifers are underground reservoirs of water held between layers of hard rock
beneath the water table. Tube wells and hand pumps can be used to pump out this
water.

Short Answer Questions: 3 marks

6. How is groundwater recharged? Why is it important?


Ans: The process of infiltration recharges groundwater. Rainwater along with water
from ponds, rivers, and lakes, seeps into the ground. Deep beneath the surface, this
fills in the empty spaces and gaps between soils. Infiltration is the term for the
process of precipitation seeping into the ground. Groundwater recharge is critical for
long-term groundwater management and water table stability.

7. What is meant by drip irrigation? Explain its significance?


Ans: Drip irrigation is a form of irrigation that farmers use to save water and manage
limited water more efficiently. A network of narrow tubes is put throughout the field
with holes that open towards the base of the plants in drip irrigation. The tubes are
connected to a water supply source. When water is pumped, the tubes send water
only to the plant's base, not the entire field, ensuring that water is used efficiently.

8. What is meant by drip irrigation? Explain its significance?


Ans: Water covers around 71 percent of the earth's surface. Nearly 97 percent of this
is saltwater or ocean water. Freshwater makes up the remaining 3% of the total.
Rivers, lakes, ponds, and glaciers account for 2% of the world's water, while
groundwater accounts for 1%.

9. What is rainwater harvesting?


Ans: Rainwater harvesting is the technique of collecting rainwater and using it to
recharge groundwater. Rainwater that falls on the ground, rooftops, and other
surfaces are channelled through a system of pipes in this manner. This water can be
temporarily stored or allowed to permeate the soil and recharge groundwater.

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10. Explain the use of bawris in water management.
Ans: Bawris, also known as step wells, are a traditional rainwater gathering device.
People use this approach to dig incredibly deep step wells in the ground. These step
wells fill up with water when it rains. Since it is so deep, evaporation is minimal. As
a result, water may be kept for longer in these wells and utilised in times of scarcity.

Long Answer Questions: 5 marks

11. Explain the water cycle with a diagram.

Ans:

The water cycle describes the cyclical movement of water from the earth to the
atmosphere and back to the earth through various processes such as evaporation,
condensation, and so on.

i. Evaporation: Heat from the sun evaporates water from the earth's surface,
including land, oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water. Water
evaporates and rises into the atmosphere.

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ii. Transpiration: Water evaporates from the surface of leaves and rises into the
air as water vapour.

iii. Condensation: As water vapour climbs higher into the air, it cools and
condenses, forming water droplets in the shape of clouds.

iv. Precipitation: When clouds get saturated with water, they rain, snow, hail, or
sleet on the ground.

v. Percolation: Some of the rain that falls on the earth is able to percolate into
the soil and replenish groundwater.

vi. Water that falls on slopes flows down due to gravity and is finally absorbed.

12. How is the water cycle important in maintaining the water levels on earth?
How can we utilise it efficiently to obtain freshwater?
Ans: The "water cycle" is critical to sustaining Earth's water levels: The "water
cycle" is the most essential criterion for "maintaining the water content" on the
planet.

Evaporation from a water body, condensation in the form of a cloud, and


precipitation in the form of rain are the three major stages that lead to rain.

Fresh water must be used in a way that is sufficient, not excessive, and that allows
us to preserve water for ourselves and future generations.

Nature's pure water is worth a trillion dollars, but we can't access it as readily as
we can with the industrial revolution.

The water cycle is critical because it guarantees that all living species have access
to water and governs weather patterns on our planet. We would run out of clean
water, which is fundamental to life, if water did not naturally recycle itself.

13. What are the causes of depletion of the water table?

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Ans: Population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation, and agriculture are the
primary causes of water table depletion.

i) Population Explosion: The term "population explosion" refers to a rapid


increase in population. As the human population grows, so does our reliance
on all resources, including water. The amount of water on the planet is finite,
but demand is growing all the time. As a result, we are using up more and
more groundwater without permitting enough time to recharge, resulting in its
depletion.

ii) Urbanisation: Increased urbanisation and changing lifestyles have increased


our need for water even more. Commercialization and a materialistic lifestyle
have made us reliant on things that require a large amount of fresh water to
produce. This reduces the amount of groundwater available.

iii) Industrialization: As the world's population grows and lifestyles change, new
industries emerge to meet our needs and desires. The majority of industrial
processes use a lot of water, thereby depleting the groundwater supply.

iv) Agriculture: Plants require a lot of water to grow and reproduce, hence
agriculture is a water-intensive industry. Water is more important to some
plants than it is to others. In India, the majority of agriculture is still reliant on
rain (rain-fed agriculture). Rainstorms, on the other hand, are sporadic and
unpredictable. As a direct consequence, more groundwater is being used to
make water available for agriculture, further depleting its levels.

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