Ch 16 highlights water scarcity and conservation. Students learn about the distribution of water on earth, groundwater and the water table, reasons for depletion, and methods to conserve water.
About 97% of earth's water is in oceans (salty). ~3% is fresh water, mostly locked in glaciers and ice caps. Only a tiny fraction (~0.01%) is available as usable fresh water in rivers, lakes, and underground.
Water table: the upper level of underground water. It drops due to increasing population, industrial use, and deforestation. Recharge happens through rain seeping into the ground. Conservation: fix leaks, use drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, reuse water, afforestation.
Download: https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/gesc116.pdf | Complete book: https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/gesc1ps.zip
Ocean water contains about 3.5% dissolved salts, making it unfit for drinking or agriculture. Desalination (removing salt) is possible but expensive and energy-intensive. This is why conserving fresh water is crucial.
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