Revision summary
India has large monsoon and river-groundwater resources, but rain is concentrated in a few months and regions. Farms use most water, often for thirsty crops in dry belts, with heavy pumping. Pollution and urban leaks cut the usable share of “fresh” water. Per-person water has fallen, and disputes delay sharing. Scarcity is mismanagement of a seasonal endowment, not absence of rain on the map.
Model answer
Flow diagram
flowchart TD M[Monsoon snow rivers aquifers] --> E[Large endowment] E --> U[Uneven season and region] A[Paddy cane flood irrigation] --> S[Scarcity] P[Pollution leaks over-extraction] --> S U --> S G[Governance and disputes] --> S
Conclusion
- Shift cropping to rainfall, price power and water with care for the poor, treat sewage as reuse, recharge aquifers, and protect floodplains. Supply schemes without demand reform will not end scarcity.
India’s fresh-water endowment is large in total and poor in timing, place, quality, and justice. Scarcity is therefore made by monsoon concentration, groundwater mining, farm and urban waste, and weak basin institutions. The critical answer is that nature gave volume; society failed to turn it into secure water.
Quick related
Students also ask
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The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reaching the limits of ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.
Next question in the 2015 paper (Q17). View answer →
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If the monsoon is strong, why is there scarcity?
A few wet weeks cannot serve a year if tanks, soil, and aquifers are empty or polluted.
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Is scarcity only a rainfall problem?
No. Crop choice, power subsidies, sewage, and unequal access create scarcity even in better-watered states.
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