Chapter 3 - Geography - Question Paper

Water Resources

CBSE Class 10 · Geography · Contemporary India II · Chapter 3

Time: 3 Hours Max Marks: 80

General Instructions:
1. This question paper contains seven sections, A to G.
2. Section A has 10 multiple choice questions carrying 1 mark each.
3. Section B has 4 assertion-reason questions carrying 1 mark each.
4. Section C has 6 very short answer questions carrying 2 marks each. Answers should not exceed 40 words.
5. Section D has 6 short answer questions carrying 3 marks each. Answers should not exceed 60 words.
6. Section E has 4 long answer questions carrying 5 marks each. Answers should not exceed 120 words.
7. Section F has 2 case-based questions carrying 4 marks each.
8. Section G is a map-based question carrying 8 marks.
9. There is no overall choice, but internal choices have been provided in a few questions.

Section A — Multiple Choice Questions (1 × 10 = 10 Marks)

1

Q1.What proportion of the Earth's surface is covered with water?

1. One-half
2. One-fourth
3. Three-fourths
4. One-third

1

Q2.Freshwater is continually renewed and recharged through the:

1. Carbon cycle
2. Hydrological cycle
3. Nitrogen cycle
4. Rock cycle

1

Q3.Who referred to multi-purpose river projects as the "temples of modern India"?

1. Mahatma Gandhi
2. Jawaharlal Nehru
3. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
4. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar

1

Q4.The Bhakra-Nangal project supplies hydel power and irrigation in which river basin?

1. Narmada basin
2. Sutlej-Beas basin
3. Mahanadi basin
4. Godavari basin

1

Q5.The Hirakud project, which integrates flood control with water conservation, is located on the river:

1. Narmada
2. Mahanadi
3. Tapi
4. Krishna

1

Q6.The Sardar Sarovar Dam has been constructed over the river:

1. Narmada
2. Tapi
3. Godavari
4. Krishna

1

Q7.The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide piped water to every rural household at a rate of:

1. 40 litres per capita per day
2. 55 litres per capita per day
3. 70 litres per capita per day
4. 100 litres per capita per day

1

Q8.Underground room-sized tanks for storing rooftop-harvested rainwater are traditionally found in:

1. Meghalaya
2. Rajasthan
3. Kerala
4. Punjab

1

Q9.The 200-year-old bamboo drip irrigation system is traditionally practised in:

1. Rajasthan
2. Meghalaya
3. Gujarat
4. Odisha

1

Q10.The Krishna-Godavari water dispute arose over water diversion at:

1. Tehri
2. Koyna
3. Rihand
4. Naraura

Section B — Assertion-Reason Questions (1 × 4 = 4 Marks)

For questions 11-14, two statements are given — one labelled Assertion (A) and the other Reason (R). Choose the correct option:
(a) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.
(b) Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A.
(c) A is true, but R is false.
(d) A is false, but R is true.

1

Q11.Assertion (A): Water is a renewable resource.
Reason (R): It is infinite in quantity and can never run out.

1

Q12.Assertion (A): Multi-purpose river projects were called the "temples of modern India."
Reason (R): They integrate the development of agriculture and the village economy with rapid industrialisation and growth of the urban economy.

1

Q13.Assertion (A): An area with abundant annual rainfall can still suffer from water scarcity.
Reason (R): Available water may be polluted by domestic and industrial waste, making it hazardous for use.

1

Q14.Assertion (A): The practice of rooftop rainwater harvesting is increasing rapidly in western Rajasthan today.
Reason (R): The perennial Indira Gandhi Canal has reduced the necessity of traditional water storage.

Section C — Very Short Answer Questions (2 × 6 = 12 Marks)

2

Q15.Define the hydrological cycle and explain how it makes water a renewable resource.

2

Q16.Distinguish between quantitative and qualitative water scarcity.

2

Q17.What is a multi-purpose river project? Give one example along with the uses it serves.

2

Q18.State two objectives of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

2

Q19.What is meant by "Palar Pani"? Why is it valued by people in Rajasthan?

2

Q20.Name one traditional rainwater harvesting structure each from the Western Himalayas and Meghalaya.

Section D — Short Answer Questions (3 × 6 = 18 Marks)

3

Q21.Explain any three human-made causes of water scarcity in India.

3

Q22.Discuss any three arguments given in favour of multi-purpose river projects.

3

Q23.Discuss any three criticisms raised against big dams and multi-purpose projects in recent years.

3

Q24.Describe the traditional tanka system of rainwater storage practised in Rajasthan.
OR
Describe the bamboo drip irrigation system practised in Meghalaya.

3

Q25.Explain the Krishna-Godavari inter-state water dispute and the concern it raised.

3

Q26.How did post-independence industrialisation and urbanisation increase pressure on India's freshwater resources? Explain with three points.

Section E — Long Answer Questions (5 × 4 = 20 Marks)

5

Q27."Water is a renewable resource, but it is not infinite." Explain this statement with reference to the main causes of water scarcity discussed in the chapter.

5

Q28.Discuss the benefits and the negative environmental consequences of multi-purpose river projects, with suitable examples from the chapter.

5

Q29."Rainwater harvesting is an age-old practice in India, adapted to local ecological conditions." Elaborate this statement with examples from at least three different regions.
OR
Describe how modern communities are reviving and adapting traditional rainwater harvesting methods to conserve water today.

5

Q30.Explain the concept of qualitative and quantitative water scarcity with suitable examples, and describe one government initiative that addresses each type.

Section F — Case-Based Questions (4 × 2 = 8 Marks)

4

Q31.Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:

Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, lies barely 55 km from Cherrapunji and Mawsynram — two of the rainiest places on Earth. Despite this, the city regularly faces acute shortage of water. Nearly every household in Shillong has installed a rooftop rainwater harvesting structure, which now supplies 15-25% of the household's total water requirement.

1. What type of water scarcity does Shillong experience? (1 mark)
2. Why does Shillong face this shortage despite such high rainfall nearby? (1 mark)
3. Give two other examples of similar water scarcity mentioned elsewhere in the chapter. (2 marks)

4

Q32.Read the passage and answer the questions that follow:

The Sardar Sarovar Dam, built over the Narmada River, is one of India's largest water resource projects, spanning four states — Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. It is expected to provide irrigation to over 18 lakh hectares of drought-prone land in Gujarat alone, along with desert districts of Rajasthan. However, such large dams have also faced strong opposition over displacement and ecological disruption.

1. Name the river on which the Sardar Sarovar Dam is built and the states it benefits. (1 mark)
2. State one benefit of the project mentioned in the passage. (1 mark)
3. State two criticisms commonly raised against large dam projects like this one. (2 marks)

Section G — Map-Based Question (8 Marks)

8

Q33.On the outline map of India provided below, locate and label the following with appropriate symbols (1 mark each):

1. Bhakra Nangal Dam
2. Hirakud Dam
3. Sardar Sarovar Dam
4. Tehri Dam
5. River Narmada
6. River Mahanadi
7. River Sutlej
8. River Godavari

✅ ANSWER KEY

Section A — Answers

A1. (c) Three-fourths — Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is covered by water, though only a small share is usable freshwater.

A2. (b) Hydrological cycle — This continuous cycle of evaporation, rainfall, and runoff renews freshwater supplies.

A3. (b) Jawaharlal Nehru — He proclaimed multi-purpose projects as symbols of India's post-independence development.

A4. (b) Sutlej-Beas basin

A5. (b) Mahanadi

A6. (a) Narmada

A7. (b) 55 litres per capita per day

A8. (b) Rajasthan — These underground tanks are called tankas.

A9. (b) Meghalaya

A10. (b) Koyna — Maharashtra's diversion of water here sparked objections from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Section B — Answers

A11. (c) A is true, R is false. Water is renewable through the hydrological cycle, but it is NOT infinite — over-exploitation can outpace its natural renewal.

A12. (a) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A.

A13. (a) Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A — this is qualitative water scarcity.

A14. (d) A is false, R is true. The practice is actually declining in western Rajasthan (not increasing), precisely because the Indira Gandhi Canal now provides ample water.

Section C — Answers

A15. The hydrological cycle is the continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Because water keeps moving through this cycle and returning to the Earth as rain, freshwater sources are constantly refilled, making water a renewable resource.

A16. Quantitative scarcity occurs when there simply isn't enough water available, often linked to low or erratic rainfall. Qualitative scarcity occurs when water is physically available in plenty but is polluted or contaminated, making it unsafe or unusable — e.g. Shillong, despite heavy nearby rainfall, still faces shortages.

A17. A multi-purpose river project is a dam-based project designed to serve several purposes simultaneously — irrigation, hydroelectric power, flood control, water supply, navigation, and recreation. Example: the Bhakra-Nangal project on the Sutlej-Beas basin provides both hydel power and irrigation.

A18. Any two: (i) Ensure every rural household gets assured piped water supply of 55 litres per capita per day. (ii) Ensure long-term functionality of tap water connections. (iii) Improve quality of life and ease of living, especially in rural areas.

A19. Palar Pani is the local Rajasthani term for pure rainwater. It is valued because it is considered the purest, best-tasting form of natural drinking water — so much so that some households still prefer it over tap water even when canal water is easily available.

A20. Western Himalayas: Guls or Kuls (diversion channels for farming). Meghalaya: Bamboo drip irrigation system (channelling stream and spring water through bamboo pipes to plant roots).

Section D — Answers

A21. (i) A large and growing population increases demand for irrigated agriculture, leading to over-exploitation of groundwater through private tube-wells. (ii) Industrialisation and urbanisation increase demand for water (for cooling, processing) and for hydroelectric power to run industries. (iii) Unequal access to water among different social groups and regions.

A22. (i) They provide irrigation, boosting agricultural production. (ii) They generate hydroelectric power for industries and homes. (iii) They help control floods and provide drought-proofing to water-scarce regions, as seen with the Sardar Sarovar project.

A23. (i) They cause excessive sedimentation, leading to rockier streambeds and poorer aquatic habitats. (ii) They fragment rivers, making migration difficult for aquatic fauna. (iii) They submerge existing vegetation and soil in the reservoir area, and can trigger issues like soil salinisation from over-irrigation.

A24. Tankas: In Rajasthan's arid regions (Bikaner, Phalodi, Barmer), households traditionally built large underground tanks, sometimes as big as a room, to store rooftop-harvested rainwater. Connected to sloping roofs via pipes, they collected rain only after the first showers cleaned the roof. This stored water, called palar pani, remained a reliable drinking source through the dry summer months, and underground rooms were often built beside the tanka to stay cool.

OR
Bamboo Drip Irrigation: A 200-year-old system in Meghalaya that taps perennial springs and streams on hilltops. Bamboo pipes divert water by gravity over hundreds of metres, with channel sections distributing it into smaller branches, finally reducing the flow to a gentle 20-80 drops per minute right at the plant's roots — a highly efficient, low-wastage irrigation method.

A25. The Krishna-Godavari dispute arose when Maharashtra diverted more water at Koyna for a multi-purpose project. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh objected, as this reduced the downstream flow of water into their states, with adverse consequences for their agriculture and industry. It illustrates how one state's water use can directly harm neighbouring states sharing the same river system.

A26. (i) Growing industries became heavy users of water for processes like cooling machinery. (ii) Industries also demanded more hydroelectric power, indirectly increasing water use. (iii) Dense urban housing societies began installing their own groundwater pumps, causing fragile water resources to be over-exploited and depleted faster than they could recharge.

Section E — Answers

A27. Water renews itself through the hydrological cycle — evaporation, rainfall, and runoff continuously refill rivers, lakes, and groundwater, which is why it is classified as a renewable resource. However, this renewal has a natural pace, and human activity is now outpacing it. A large and growing population increases demand for irrigated agriculture, pushing farmers toward private tube-wells that steadily lower groundwater tables. Industrialisation and urbanisation add further pressure — factories need water directly and indirectly (via hydel power), while dense city housing societies dig private borewells that deplete shared aquifers. Finally, unequal access means some communities over-consume while others go without. Together, these factors show that even a "renewable" resource can become scarce when the rate of extraction exceeds the rate of natural recharge.

A28. Multi-purpose projects like Bhakra-Nangal and Hirakud combine irrigation, hydel power, flood control, navigation, and recreation in a single reservoir system, and were seen by Nehru as engines of post-independence development. Projects like Sardar Sarovar promise drought-proofing to otherwise arid regions across multiple states. However, these benefits come with real environmental costs: dams disrupt natural sediment flow, causing sedimentation at the reservoir bed and rockier, less fertile streambeds downstream; they fragment river ecosystems, blocking fish migration and breeding; submerged floodplains lose vegetation and soil to decomposition; and altered cropping patterns toward water-intensive commercial crops have led to soil salinisation in some regions. Ironically, sedimentation has sometimes made floods worse rather than better over time.

A29. India has a long tradition of rainwater harvesting shaped by local geography. In the Western Himalayas, hill communities built guls and kuls — diversion channels carrying stream water directly to farmland. In arid Rajasthan, khadins and johads reshaped farmland into rain-fed storage pits that slowly moisten dry soil, while households built underground tankas to store drinking water through the summer. In Meghalaya, a 200-year-old bamboo drip irrigation system channels spring water over hundreds of metres before reducing it to a gentle drip at the plant's roots. In Bengal's flood plains, people developed inundation channels to irrigate fields directly from floodwater. Each system reflects careful adaptation to local rainfall patterns, terrain, and soil — proving that "modern" solutions often have deep traditional roots.

OR
Many communities are reviving these traditions today. In Gendathur, a village in Mysuru, Karnataka, around 200 households have installed rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, together collecting roughly 1,00,000 litres annually, earning the village a reputation for being "rainwater rich." Tamil Nadu became the first state to make rooftop rainwater harvesting legally compulsory for all houses, with penalties for defaulters. Meanwhile, government schemes like the Atal Bhujal Yojana focus not on new construction but on shifting community behaviour from water consumption toward conservation, reviving the same spirit of local stewardship that produced tankas and johads centuries ago.

A30. Quantitative scarcity is a shortage caused by there simply not being enough water — often linked to low rainfall regions. Qualitative scarcity occurs when water is abundant but unsafe due to pollution from domestic sewage, industrial waste, or agricultural chemicals — as seen in Shillong, which sits near the rainiest places on Earth yet still faces shortages. The Jal Jeevan Mission addresses qualitative and access concerns by guaranteeing safe piped water (55 litres/person/day) to rural households, while the Atal Bhujal Yojana tackles quantitative scarcity at its root by encouraging behavioural change in water-stressed regions, shifting communities from a mindset of consumption to one of conservation.

Section F — Answers

A31.
(a) Shillong experiences qualitative water scarcity is incorrect here — correction: Shillong actually illustrates that water scarcity can occur even in high-rainfall regions due to demand and distribution issues; in the specific case of Shillong this is generally treated as scarcity despite abundance, closely related to the qualitative-scarcity idea taught in the chapter.
(b) Despite being close to Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, Shillong's own local supply and distribution cannot keep pace with the city's population and consumption needs, so households have had to rely heavily on their own rooftop rainwater harvesting to meet a large share of daily water needs.
(c) Two other examples: Kolkata, where a boy is shown collecting drinking water during a flood despite 180mm of rainfall paralysing the city; and general urban areas where ample water is available but rendered hazardous by domestic and industrial pollution.

A32.
(a) The Sardar Sarovar Dam is built on the river Narmada, benefiting Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.
(b) It provides irrigation to over 18 lakh hectares of drought-prone land in Gujarat, along with desert districts of Rajasthan.
(c) Any two: large-scale displacement of local communities; submergence of vegetation, soil, and habitats in the reservoir area; disruption of river ecosystems and downstream sediment flow.

Section G — Answer (Labelled Map)

A33. Refer to the labelled map below for the correct locations of all eight features.

Priya Kids World · Water Resources Learning Suite · CBSE Class 10 Geography · Question Paper + Answer Key