Water Resources Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from Class 10 Geography Board Exam revision notes on Water Resources.

Water Scarcity

A situation in which available water is insufficient to meet the needs of people in a region.

Hydrological Cycle

The natural process through which surface run-off and groundwater are continually renewed and recharged, making water a renewable resource.

Jal Jeevan Mission

A government initiative aimed at providing assured potable piped water to every rural household at a service level of $55\,\text{litres per capita per day}$ on a long-term basis.

Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal)

A scheme focusing on water-stressed Gram Panchayats to drive behavioural change from consumption towards conservation and smart water management.

Sringaverapura

A site near Allahabad where a sophisticated water harvesting system was built in the 1st century B.C.

Bhopal Lake

One of the largest artificial lakes of its time, constructed in the 11th century for water conservation.

Hauz Khas

A tank in Delhi constructed by Allauddin Khilji in the 13th–14th century to supply water to Siri Fort.

Dam

A barrier built across flowing water that obstructs, directs, or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake, or impoundment.

Bhakra-Nangal Project

A multi-purpose river project located in the Sutluj-Beas basin, used primarily for hydel power generation and irrigation.

Hirakud Project

A multi-purpose river project located in the Mahanadi basin that integrates water conservation with flood control.

Sardar Sarovar Project

A major river project built over the Narmada River in Gujarat, designed to cover Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, providing irrigation to $18.45\,\text{lakh hectares}$ across $3,112$ villages in $15$ districts of Gujarat.

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

A government scheme aiming to improve physical access to water on farms ('Har khet ko pani') and enhance water-use efficiency through technologies ('per drop more crop').

Guls / Kuls

Traditional agricultural diversion channels constructed in the Western Himalayas.

Inundation Channels

Traditional channels constructed in the Bengal flood plains used for crop irrigation.

Khadins

Rain-fed agricultural storage structures developed in Jaisalmer to harvest rainwater and moisten the soil.

Johads

Traditional surface rainwater storage structures used in parts of Rajasthan.

Tankas

Underground drinking-water storage tanks traditionally connected to sloping rooftops in arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan such as Bikaner, Phalodi, and Barmer.

Palar Pani

The local term for rainwater in Rajasthan, considered the purest form of natural water.

Gendathur

A village in Karnataka where nearly $200$ households implemented rooftop rainwater harvesting, collecting approximately $50,000\,\text{litres}$ per household annually under an annual rainfall of $1,000\,\text{mm}$.

Bamboo Drip Irrigation

A 200-year-old traditional system in Meghalaya using bamboo pipes to transport stream and spring water over hundreds of metres, reducing flow from $18\text{--}20\,\text{litres}$ to $20\text{--}80\,\text{drops per minute}$ at the plant site.

Krishna-Godavari Dispute

An inter-state water dispute arising from objections by Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh regarding Maharashtra's diversion of Koyna river water for a multipurpose project.