Consider the following statements:1. Piezometers measure groundwater l...
- The Ministry of Jal Shakti has released the report of India’s first water bodies census, a comprehensive database of ponds, tanks, lakes, and reservoirs in the country. The census was conducted in 2018-19, and enumerated more than 2.4 million water bodies across all states and Union Territories.
- The Water Bodies: First Census Report considers “all natural or man-made units bounded on all sides with some or no masonry work used for storing water for irrigation or other purposes (e.g. industrial, pisciculture, domestic/ drinking, recreation, religious, groundwater recharge etc.)” as water bodies. The water bodies “are usually of various types known by different names like tank, reservoirs, ponds etc. As per the report, West Bengal’s South 24 Pargana has been ranked as the district having the highest (3.55 lakh) number of water bodies across the country. The district is followed by Andhra Pradesh’s Ananthapur (50,537) and West Bengal’s Howrah (37,301).
- So did the census cover all water bodies that fit this definition? No. Seven specific types of water bodies were excluded from the count. They were: 1) oceans and lagoons; 2) rivers, streams, springs, waterfalls, canals, etc. which are free-flowing, without any bounded storage of water; 3) swimming pools; 4) covered water tanks created for a specific purpose by a family or household for their own consumption; 5) a water tank constructed by a factory owner for consumption of water as raw material or consumable; 6) temporary water bodies created by digging for mining, brick kilns, and construction activities, which may get filled during the rainy season; and 7) pucca open water tanks created only for cattle to drink water.
- The census found that 1.6% of enumerated water bodies — 38,496 out of 24,24,540 — had been encroached upon.Uttar Pradesh accounted for almost 40% (15,301) of water bodies under encroachment, followed by Tamil Nadu (8,366) and Andhra Pradesh (3,920). No encroachment was reported from West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh.
- The Jal Shakti Ministry is working on an ambitious plan to deploy a vast network of groundwater sensors that will continuously relay information on groundwater levels as well as the degree of contamination down to the taluk level. Currently, such information is only measured a handful of times a year and communicated via reports of the Central Groundwater Board.
- Under the new initiative, around 16,000-17,000 digital water level recorders will be connected to piezometers in the wells. Piezometers measure groundwater levels, the recorders will transmit the information digitally. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
- The CGWB is in charge of the National Aquifer Mapping Program (NAQUIM), that as of March has mapped the country’s aquifers at a resolution of 1:50000 and – under the second phase of the programme – expects to improve the resolution by five times in the country. So far, an area of 25.15 lakh square km has been covered under the NAQUIM studies.
- In the latest Ground Water Resource Assessment-2022, the average stage of groundwater extraction for the country as a whole works out to be about 60.08%. Anything above 70% is considered “critical” though there are regions in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan with groundwater blocks with over 100% extraction. Groundwater contamination, the CGWB says, is mostly “geogenic” (natural) and hasn’t significantly changed over the years. However, nitrate contamination – a result of the use of nitrogenous fertilisers—has been observed. Sections of nearly 409 districts have been confirmed with fluoride contamination and parts of 209 districts have noted arsenic contamination. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
View all questions of this test
Consider the following statements:1. Piezometers measure groundwater l...
Explanation:
Piezometers vs. Digital Water Level Recorders:
- Piezometers measure groundwater levels by using a column of water in a small-diameter tube connected to the groundwater source.
- Digital water level recorders are electronic devices that measure and record groundwater levels automatically, transmitting the data digitally for remote monitoring and analysis.
- Therefore, statement 1 is correct as it accurately describes the functions of piezometers and digital water level recorders.
Geogenic vs. Anthropogenic Groundwater Contamination:
- Geogenic contamination refers to the natural occurrence of pollutants in groundwater, such as minerals leaching from rocks and sediments.
- Anthropogenic contamination, on the other hand, results from human activities like industrial spills, agricultural runoff, and improper disposal of waste.
- While both types of contamination exist, anthropogenic sources are increasingly contributing to groundwater pollution worldwide.
- Therefore, statement 2 is incorrect as anthropogenic sources play a significant role in groundwater contamination.
Conclusion:
- In conclusion, both statements 1 and 2 are correct, as piezometers measure groundwater levels and digital water level recorders transmit data digitally, while groundwater contamination can be caused by both geogenic and anthropogenic sources.