Management of Water Resources Management:
Management of Water Resources Management of water resources means a programme to provide an adequate supply of good quality of water for various uses without endangering the life of the source or the reserve of water. In other words, efforts should be made to see that: (i) water of the right quality is available for all kind of Uses and (ii) there is no misuse or wastage of this precious resource. Water management includes recharging the reserves of groundwater and d~verting supply from an area of surplus to the region of scarcity. Recharging of groundwater is the most important aspect of the water management. In the mountains and hills, the watersheds are covered with vegetation. The litter-covered soil of the watershed allows infiltration of rain water, which finds its way to the aquifers. In urban and rural areas, storm water, used water or domestic drains can be fed into pits, trenches, or any depression, where it can filter underground. Flood water can be injected into aquifers through a series of deep pits or it can be spread on the fields through a network of ditches. The excess flow of normal as well as flood water can be diverted to areas where there is scarcity of water. This will not only remove the danger of damage caused by floods but will also benefit the regions of scarcity.
Desalination of sea water
By use of solar energy, sea water can be distilled, thus fresh water of good quality can be obtained. This method of desalination of sea water is being used in our country at places like Bhavanagar in Gujarat and Chum in Rajasthan.
Reducing over consumption
Using more water than necessary is an unpardonable waste of the precious and scarce resource. In our country, a lot of water is wasted due to leaking taps and bad plumbing. There is also need for a check on excessive irrigation. So you see, there are ways in which we can better manage our limited resources. Before going on to the next section, you may like to check what you have learnt.