Karnataka 2nd PUC Geography Question Bank Chapter 7 Land and Water Resources Questions and Answers Solution, Notes by Expert Teacher Priya Verma. Karnataka Class 12 Geography Solution Chapter 7.
There are 2 Parts in Karnataka Class 12 Textbook. Here You will find Part A Fundamental of Land and Water Resources’s Chapter 7 Land and Water Resources (Land Use Pattern and Land Capability, Irrigation – water Resources of India and Sources of Irrigation, Major Multipurpose River Valley Projects – DVC Project, Bhakra Nangal Project, Hirakud Project, Upper Krishna Project., Water Conservation and Management , Watershed Management and Rainwater Harvesting).
Karnataka 2nd PUC Geography Question Bank Chapter 7 – Land and Water Resources Solution
- State – Karnataka.
- Class – 2nd PUC / Class 12
- Subject – Geography.
- Topic – Solution / Notes.
- Chapter – 7
- Chapter Name – Land and Water Resources.
- Subpart – Land Use Pattern and Land Capability, Irrigation – water Resources of India and Sources of Irrigation, Major Multipurpose River Valley Projects – DVC Project, Bhakra Nangal Project, Hirakud Project, Upper Krishna Project., Water Conservation and Management , Watershed Management and Rainwater Harvesting.
(I) Answer the following questions in one word or a sentence each
(1) What is meant by Land-use?
Answer :
Land use means utilising land for various economic activities like agriculture, forest, Pasteur etc.
(2) Which State has the highest area under forests?
Answer :
Madhya Pradesh has the highest area under forest cover.
(3) What is fallow land?
Answer :
The land which is not being utilised for cultivation for the last 3 to 5 years is known as fallow land.
(4) What is Net area sown?
Answer :
The total land area under cultivation is known as net area sown. Presently it is 46.2% of the total land area in India.
(5) What is land capability?
Answer :
Land capability is the carrying capacity of land which can sustainably support its land use.
(6) Mention the main source of surface water resource?
Answer :
The main sources of surface water resources are rainfall and rivers.
(7) What is irrigation?
Answer :
Providing water to crops or plants through an external resource is known as irrigation.
(8) Which State in India has the highest irrigated land?
Answer :
(9) What is well irrigation?
Answr :
When water is extracted from the water table by digging up to a depth of not more than 15m then it is known as a well. When it is used for irrigation purposes it is known as well irrigation.
(10) What is canal irrigation?
Answer :
When Water from the main river channel is redirected by making a barrage or a dam for irrigation purposes is known as canal irrigation.
(11) What is tank irrigation?
Answer :
When rain water is stored artificially in a depression by the construction of embankments is known as tank irrigation.
(12) What is Sprinkler irrigation?
Answer :
When water is spread in all directions through pipes and nozzles under high pressure is known as sprinkler irrigation
(13) What is drip irrigation?
Answer :
Drip irrigation is a method of supplying small quantities of water directly to the roots of plants through a mess of pipes.
(14) Define the multi-purpose river valley project?
Answer :
Multipurpose river valley projects are the comprehensive project which aims to use the natural course of river water by building embankments for various purposes like hydroelectricity generation, flood control, soil conservation, afforestation, drinking water etc.
(15) Which is the first multi-purpose River Valley project in India?
Answer :
Damodar valley project was the first multipurpose river valley project in India.
(16) Across which river BhakraNangal dam is constructed?
Answer :
The BhakraNangal dam is constructed over river satluj.
(17) What is the name of Bhakra reservoir?
Answer :
The Bhakra reservoir is also known as GovindSagar dam.
(18) Which is the longest dam in India?
Answer :
Hirakud dam is the longest dam in India.
(19) What is meant by water conservation?
Answer :
The efforts and actions taken for using water efficiently and sustainable is known as water conservation.
(20) What is watershed?
Answer :
Watershed is a geographical area from which river and its tributaries flow naturally and drain it.
(II) Answer the following questions in 3 to 4 sentences each
(1) What are the main physical features determine the land-use pattern?
Answer :
Geographical relief, climate, soil, density of population, technical and social economical factors are some of the important factors which determine the land use pattern in India.
(2) Mention four reasons of need for irrigation?
Answer :
Irrigation is needed because water resources are not evenly distributed in the whole geographical area. Some areas are wet and humid and receive a good amount of rainfall, whereas some areas face desert-like conditions and have negligible rainfalls. This irrigation is necessary to ensure the agricultural productivity of the diverse regions.
(3) Which are the major sources of irrigation?
Answer :
Rivers and rainfall are natural sources of irrigation whereas Wells, tube wells, canals and tanks are some major artificial sources of irrigation.
(4) What is the difference between Inundation canal and perennial canal system?
Answer :
When water is directly taken out from the river without making any barrage or dam then it is known as inundation canal. When water is taken out from the river by making permanent constructions like barrage or dam then it is known as perennial canals.
(5) What is tank irrigation? Mention its inherent drawbacks?
Answer :
When rain water is stored artificially in a depression by the construction of embankments is known as tank irrigation. Tank irrigation is practised in a state like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The area under tank irrigation has decreased because tanks get silted up and it is a seasonal source of water. It gets water only in the rainy season.
(6) Mention the major objectives of multi purposeproject ?
Answer :
Multipurpose river valley projects are the comprehensive project which aims to use the natural course of river water by building embankments for various purposes. The main aim of multipurpose valley projects are irrigation facilities, hydroelectricity generation, flood control, soil conservation, drinking water supply, afforestation, preservation of wildlife, navigation, pisciculture etc.
(7) What is conservation ? Give examples,
Answer :
Steps taken to use any of the natural resources efficiently and sustainably is known as conservation. For example water conservation, soil conservation etc. Water conservation is done through reducing runoff losses, reducing irrigation losses, prevention of wastage of water and reuse of water.
(8) What is watershed management ?
Answer :
The integrated approach of conserving nature and its natural resources to conserve the natural course of the river is known as watershed management. It involves rational use of land and water resources for maximum production that causes minimum damage to nature.
(9) Mention the main objectives of rain water harvesting?
Answer :
The main aim of rainwater harvesting is to check the runoff water loss and avoid flooding. It also involves water conservation to meet the demands of water and replenishing the groundwater table also. It also helps in reducing the salinity of underground water and improves water quality, consequently it is helpful in improving the ecology of an area.
(10) Mention the techniques of rain water harvesting.
Answer :
There are various methods involved in watershed management like water harvesting, afforestation and agroforestry, scientific mining and quarrying, terracing, contour cropping, strip cropping, bunding, public participation etc
(11) Mention need of watershed management.
Answer :
Watershed management is the need of the hour because the unscientific land use pattern, overgrazing, deforestation, mining, shifting cultivation, soil erosion etc have degraded the natural course of rivers and watersheds in India. To restore the natural course of rivers watershed management is necessary.
(12) Mention the benefits of rain water harvesting.
Answer :
There are various benefits of rainwater harvesting like it helps in recharging the underground water resources, it addresses the surface water needs, it reduces the salinity of underground water and it reduces the groundwater contamination. It also ensures that flooding activity and runoff of the top layer of soil is under check. Consequently it helps in improving the ecological productivity of the region.
(III) Answer the following
(1) Give an account of land-use pattern in India.
Answer :
Land is an important natural resource which is essential for survival of life on earth. The land use pattern is determined by factors like relief features, climate, soil, density of population, technical and social economic factors. India has a total geographical area of 328.7 million hectares which has been classified into following five types-
- Forest area – according to the National forest policy 1952 India is aiming to increase its forest cover to 33.3% of the total land. As per the 2019-10 records the total forest cover in India is 22.8% which is 69.63 million hectares. The proportion of forest area is mostly concentrated in states like Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh etc
- Area not available for cultivation– it is the land area which is covered by human settlements, transport routes, canals, quarries, mountains, deserts, marshes etc. It is nearly 14.2% of the total geographical area of India. Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have the highest concentration of this category of land.
- Other cultivated lands including fallow land– it accounts for 8.6% of the country’s total geographical area. It includes grazing land, permanent pasture, tree cover groves and cultivable wasteland. It is mostly concentrated in the states of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
- Fallow land- the land which is not under cultivation for the last 3 to 5 years is called fallow land. 8.13% of total land area is currently under this category. This category of land is most found in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.
- Net area sown- the total area under cultivation is known as net area sown. Presently 46.2% of the total geographical area of India is under this category. Due to increase in population the net sown area is also increasing. States like Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir etc have their maximum land under this category.
(2) Discuss the importance of land capability.
Answer :
Land capability is the carrying capacity of land through which it can sustainably support the land use. Land is an important natural resource which along with other elements makes existence of life on earth possible. But it is undergoing rapid degradation because of an unsustainable land use pattern. Land capability is evaluated by estimating the components of land and their capacity to provide ecosystem services. It also signifies soil health. Land capability assessment helps to enable the reconciliation of production and protection. It does not include social and n economic factors and it’s complete focus is on the sustainability of the ecosystem. Therefore land suitability assessment is undertaken to assess the land capability and it is a necessary evaluation to understand the social and economic constraints of a piece of land. Demonstrates the range of uses of land and the management practices which should be undertaken to reduce the degradation of soil air and water resources. If the land is used beyond its capacity the land degradation occurs which leads to decline in natural ecosystem services, agriculture productivity and infrastructure functionality.
(3) Explain the water resources of India.
Answer :
Water is a basic human necessity and valuable natural resource which is essential for the survival of life on the planet. It is used for varied purposes like irrigation, generation of electricity, navigation, industries, domestic use etc. According to availability water resources are divided into categories. They are groundwater resources and surface water resources. Surface water resources include rainfalls river lakes tanks and springs whereas underground water resources include wells, tubewells etc.
Surface water resources- the most important source of surface water is rainfall but it is not evenly distributed all over the country. It receives an average rainfall of 118 cm. Areas like Western coast and North eastern India get heavy rainfall whereas regions like Rajasthan and Ladakh have very less rainfall. Moreover the distribution of rainfall is not evenly distributed all around the year. Most of the rainfall is concentrated during the months of June to September. The other most important source of surface water is river, lakes etc
Groundwater resources- according to estimates the total replenishable groundwater resource of India is about 433 billion cubic metres. But its distribution is not even all around the country and 40% of it is concentrated in the Ganga river basin.
(4) Explain the distribution of wells and tube wells irrigation in India
Answer :
Well irrigation- well well is an underground source of water which is obtained by digging in the earth crust not beyond 15 m. It has been a popular source of irrigation since ancient time. The largest concentration of well irrigation is concentrated in the Gangetic plains and regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. In Gujarat 78.8% of the total net irrigated area is under well irrigation. Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra Punjab Madhya Pradesh etc have more than 50% of their total irrigated area under well irrigation. construction of tubewells and minor irrigation programs were promoted during 5 year plans. Presently more than 45 lakh tube wells are under Government and private ownership. The largest number of tubewells are found in Uttar Pradesh and the total area under tube well irrigation is also highest under Uttar Pradesh. Other states which are under tube well irrigation are Punjab Bihar West Bengal Kerala Gujarat etc.
(5) Explain the canal irrigation in India.
Answer :
Diversion of water from its natural course by constructing barrage and dam is known as canal. India has one of the most extensive canal systems in the world. It is the second largest source of irrigation and covers around 31% of the total net irrigated area in the country. The total area under the canal in irrigation increased to 16.6 million hectares during 2007-08. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat have a considerable area under canal irrigation. Canal of two types- inundation canals and perennial canals. Inundation canals are those canals which directly take water from the river without making any dam or barrage. It is functional only during the rainy season. Whereas perennial canals are the canals which take water from the river by constructing dams and barrages. They have a regular flow of water all around the year. Canal irrigation is widely found in Sutlej Ganga plains. Uttar Pradesh Rajasthan Andhra Pradesh Haryana Punjab Madhya Pradesh Karnataka Maharashtra Orissa and Bihar constitute for 79% of the total canal irrigated area in India.
(6) Discuss the present situation of Tank irrigation in India.
Answer :
Tank is an artificial method of collecting rainwater by forming embankments. They are usually constructed by the community by forming a barrage across a seasonal stream. It is mostly found in the eastern part of the Southern Peninsula where the topography is suitable for construction of bunds. It is mostly found in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. All these three places account for nearly 66% of the total irrigated area under tank irrigation in the country. Presently the area under tank irrigation has decreased from 4.6 million hectares in 1960 to 1.56 million hectares in 2007. As of now it accounts for 3.2% of the total irrigated area in India. The major reason behind the decrease is that these tanks get silted up very fast and it is not a perennial source of irrigation.
(7) Explain the development and distribution of other types of irrigation.
Answer :
Some minor types of irrigation practices which has been adopted in recent years are sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation.
- Sprinkler irrigation – it is a mode of irrigation in which water is sprinkled on the crops by using a high pressure nozzle. It is a method of water conservation also as it provides moisture to the plant with less requirement of water. It is a cost intensive irrigation practice. It is more popular in states like Punjab, Haryana Rajasthan Karnataka and Gujarat.
- Drip irrigation– it is a comparatively Newer irrigation practice which has been developed in Israel. It is more popular in areas which face water scarcity. In this a mesh of pipes is laid on the field which delivers water directly to the roots. As of 2005 the area under drip irrigation was 6.3 hectares. It reduces the overall demand of water and the cases of water wastage. It is widely practised in Rajasthan, Maharashtra Karnataka and Tamilnadu. It cannot be used in every crop but it is used for coconut grapes, citrus fruits, vegetables and plantation crops.
(8) What is Multipurpose River Valley? Explain its importance in India.
Answer :
Multipurpose river valley projects are the umbrella projects which use the river water for various purposes. They usually work in various targets like irrigation, electricity generation, flood control, soil conservation, drinking water supply, navigation, pisciculture, recreation, afforestation etc. In India the first multipurpose river valley project was started under Damodarvalley corporation which was formed in 1948. It was inspired by the Tennessee valley authority in the USA. Some other examples of river valley projects are bhakraNangal project Hirakud project upper Krishna project etc. They are mainly aimed at water conservation, flood control and power generation.
(9) Discuss the important features and aims of Damodar Valley project.
Answer :
The Damodar valley project was started in 1948. The Damodarriver is a tributary of Hooghly river and is known as the sorrow of Bihar because of its flooding events in the past. It carried huge sediments which became a challenge for the Kolkata port. To solve the issue of the sedimentation of the Kolkata port the government started this project in the state of Bihar in West Bengal. This project started with the construction of four dams, 3 hydel power stations, one barrage and three thermal power stations. On this tilaiya dam, konar dam, maithon dam, panchet hill dam and Durgapur barrage were constructed.
Its main goal was flood control, promotion of irrigation, hydroelectricity generation, navigation, afforestation, prevention of soil erosion, inland fishing and recreation facilities.
(10) Explain the main objectives and importance of BhakraNangal project.
Answer :
The bhakraNangal project is constructed on the satluj river in Himachal Pradesh. It is a joint venture of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Under this two dams are constructed on the Sutlej river and its main goal was flood control irrigation facilities power generation etc. It is a 508 m long and 226 m high dam. Reservoir created by the bhakra dam is known as GovindSagar. The bhakraNangal project serves a total area of 27.4 lakh hectares in Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab. The Nangal dam is constructed 13 km below the bhakra dam. It is 305 m long and 29 m high. It supplies water to the bhakra main canal and it serves 26.4 lakh hectares of land in Haryana and 50.2 lakh hectare of land in Punjab. The bhakraNangal project has four power stations with a total capacity of 1204 megawatt.
(11) Explain the chief aims and importance of Hirakud project.
Answer :
Hirakud multipurpose river valley project is located in Odisha on the Mahanadi river. It has three dams which are constructed across the river Mahanadi. It is the longest dam in India and forms a 650 km square reservoir. It has a storage capacity of 810 crore cubic metres of water. The project has two hydroelectric power stations with the capacity of 270 megawatt. The first dam is constructed at Hirakud, the second dam is constructed at tikrapara and the third dam is constructed at naraj. Some other dams are proposed to be constructed on the tributaries of Mahanadi like ib, mand and tel. Its principal goals were flood control, irrigation development, generation of hydroelectricity and provisioning of navigation recreation facilities and afforestation.
(12) Explain the main features and importance of upper Krishna project.
Answer :
The upper Krishna multipurpose river valley project is constructed on river Krishna in Northern Karnataka. It is the biggest multipurpose project in Karnataka. It consists of two dams- alamati and narayanpura. Almatti dam is constructed in basavanabagewadi village and the narayanapura dam is built near siddapur village. The total irrigation potential of the upper Krishna project is about 6.22 lakh hectares. Also has the power generation capacity of 6 units and total installed capacity at Almatti is 268 MW. The reservoir created by Narayanapura dam is called basavaSagar. The Narayanapura dam is 10637 m long and 29.7 m height with a total capacity of 1066 million cubic metres. The alamatti dam is 1578 m long and 47.8 m with a total capacity of 5295 million cubic metres.
(13) Give an account of water conservation and management.
Answer :
The distribution of rainfall is not uniform all over India. Some states like Meghalaya and north east India have abundance of rainfall while the reasons like Rajasthan face water distress. India is highly dependent on rainfall for its agricultural productivity and it is one of the emerging reasons for water conservation. The availability of freshwater is decreasing day by day and with the increasing pollution level and uncertainty and distribution of rainfall water scarcity arises. Water conservation is the efforts taken to use water efficiently and sustainably. It majorly involves controlling, protecting, managing and planning the use of water resources. Following are the methods of water conservation-
- Reducing the run of losses in the agricultural field. For this contour cultivation, terrace farming, mulching, water storage structures like farm points, chemical conditioners, addition of chemical wetting agents etc are used.
- With the use of drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation methods the water losses in irrigation can be reduced. Use of covered canals, timely irrigation, and growing hybrid crop varieties with less water requirements are some innovative methods for reducing water loss in irrigation.
- Usage of treated waste water for watering gardens, washing vehicles and Agriculture buildings can help in saving fresh water.
- Preventing water loss by closing taps, repairing water leakages from pipes and using small capacity flash can reduce the wastage of water in commercial and residential buildings.
(14) Explain the Watershed management.
Answer :
Watershed is a total geographical area which is drained by a river and its tributaries. It is the natural basin of a river and its size can vary from a few kilometres to a few hundred kilometres. They are the source of rivers which can be used for irrigation, generation of electricity, domestic use, inland waterways etc. The scientific use of land and water resources for maximum production that can cause minimum damage to natural resources is known as watershed management. It is necessary for maintaining a regular supply of water and the overall development of the nation. Various methods are developed for sustainable watershed management like-
- Water harvesting measures for provisioning of water and dry areas and low rainfall areas.
- Maintaining the required forest cover for moisture attention in soil and prevention of soil erosion. For this various afforestation measures and agro forestry has been adopted.
- Scientific mining and quarrying methods for minimising its ill effect on watershed areas.
- For preventing soil erosion measures like terracing, bunding, bench terracing, contour cropping, strip cropping etc are used.
(15) Discuss about the Rainwater harvesting.
Answer :
Method of collecting and storing rainwater for future use is known as rainwater harvesting. It includes collection of rainwater and its storage in surface or in subsurface aquifers, before losing it as a surface runoff. It maintains the underground water level and ensures the availability of water in dry seasons. Structures like tanks, ponds, small bunds etc are created for rainwater harvesting. It serves major objectives like-
- It checks surface runoff and avoids flooding.
- It increases the groundwater level.
- It ensures the availability of water in water distressed areas or in dry seasons.
- It reduces the salinity of underground water.
- It reduces ground water contamination and improves the water quality.
- It helps in agricultural productivity and improves the overall ecology of an area.
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