Sources of Water: Occurrences and Uses of Water

Sources of Water: In our world, water is one of the most common and useful substances. Life cannot exist without water. We require water not only for biological survival but also to irrigate (water) our agriculture fields, run our industries, and perform other activities like cooking, cleaning, bathing, and so on. What are our water sources, or where do we receive this water? Read the below article to learn more about water sources.

Occurrence of Water

The oceans support many organisms, but their salty water is useless to humans and other land organisms. We all rely on (liquid) freshwater, which accounts for only \({\rm{1 \% }}\) of the water on the planet.

Water on the earth’s surface: Water covers a large portion of the earth’s surface. Water covers nearly \(71\) per cent of the earth’s surface. Oceans contain approximately \(97\) per cent of all available water on Earth. Approximately \({\rm{2 \% }}\) of it is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining nearly \({\rm{1 \% }}\) of water is available in the form of rivers, lakes, ponds, underground water, and so on, and can be used for agriculture and consumption by living beings.

Study Water For All Concept Here

Water

Water is a clear transparent liquid. Henry Cavendish in \(1781\) proved that water is a compound of two elements, hydrogen and oxygen. Water is the most common and useful substance around us.

Water exists in all three states in nature: vapour in the air, liquid in rivers, lakes, and seas, and solid in the polar regions and snow-capped mountains.

However, only water in its liquid state can be directly used by living beings. And, even though (liquid) water covers nearly \({\rm{71 \% }}\) of the earth’s surface, the majority of it is in the oceans. The oceans support many organisms, but their salty water is useless to humans and other land organisms. We all rely on (liquid) freshwater, which accounts for only \({\rm{1 \% }}\) of the water on the planet.

Water in the atmosphere: Water is present in the atmosphere in vapour, mist, clouds, and so on.

Water in living organisms: The bodies of all living organisms contain a large amount of water. Human blood contains \({\rm{90 \% }}\) water, while the human body as a whole contains \({\rm{70 \% }}\) water. Foodgrains, fruits, vegetables, and so on all contain varying amounts of water.

Percentage Proportion of Water in Living Things

Sources of Water

A significant amount of water is found in ice or snow in the world’s polar regions, namely the Arctic, Antarctica, and the high mountains. The other types of frozen water are frost and hail. Water is present in the atmosphere as water vapour, which condenses to form clouds, fog, mist, etc.

The main sources of natural water are:

1. Surface water
2. Underground water
3. Above surface water

Based on sources, water can further be classified into

I. Rainwater
II. River and lake water
III. Spring and well water
IV. Ocean and seawater

Surface Water

Rivers, lakes, and ponds are called surface water bodies.  This category also includes artificial rainwater storage tanks. Throughout history, surface water has been used for domestic (household) and irrigation purposes.

Canals are built to transport water from surface bodies to crop fields. Industries frequently sprout up along rivers, such as the Rhine in Europe and the Damodar in India. Rivers are also used to supply piped water to towns and cities. The Yamuna, for example, provides water to Delhi.

1. Ocean and Seawater: Oceans and seas are the largest sources of water, covering nearly \({\rm{71 \% }}\) of the earth’s surface. They have a high concentration of dissolved substances, primarily common salt. As a result, the ocean and seawater are the most important salt sources, but their water is unfit for direct consumption.

2. Rivers and lakes: Water in rivers and lakes comes from rain and melting snow. It also contains dissolved impurities such as salts and suspended impurities such as clay, sand, twigs, and living organisms. Rivers and lakes are the best sources of water for domestic and industrial use. However, because it contains impurities and germs that can cause diseases, this water must be purified before consumption.

Underground Water

When it rains, some water seeps through the soil (through porous rocks in the soil) and collects on non-porous rocks. This collected water is called underground water, and the groundwater level is referred to as the water table. Due to high pressure, water occasionally escapes onto the earth’s surface in the form of springs. On the surface, groundwater can also be obtained by digging wells, tube wells, or lifting pumps (hand pumps).

1. Springs and Wells: Well water and spring water are considered pure. They contain dissolved impurities but no suspended impurities or germs because they have been filtered through different soil layers—the nature of the soil surrounding the spring or well influences the dissolved impurities. As a result, the taste of water varies depending on where you are. Deep wells typically contain more pure water than shallow wells. This underground water can be rich in minerals with medicinal properties at times. This water is typically pure and safe to consume.

Above Surface Water

1. Rainwater: Rain is our primary source of water. It would be more accurate to use the term precipitation, which includes and snow. Rainwater is the purest form of natural water. It is formed naturally in the atmosphere by evaporation followed by the condensation of water vapour. As it falls, rainwater dissolves the gases in the air and collects dust particles. Carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, and oxides of nitrogen and sulphur are important gases dissolved in rainwater.

Rainwater also carries smoke and germs from the air. As a result, the first shower of rain contains impurities, but subsequent showers are impurity-and thus safe to drink. Snow and ice contain the majority of the water on earth. The majority of freshwater is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps.

It is rain that replenishes our sources of surface water and groundwater. The scarcity of water in a place is determined more by how people use rainwater than by how much rainfall the place receives. Thus, Cherrapunji (Meghalaya), which has one of the highest rainfall rates in the world, faces a water shortage because rain runs off quickly down the deforested mountain slopes.

Uses of Water

1. Water is required for the survival of all plants, animals, and humans. This is because water is required for all life processes, from taking in food to waste disposal. Water is required for all life processes.
2. Domestic use: Water is required for nearly all domestic activities such as drinking, bathing, washing clothes, and cooking.
3. Agriculture: Water is required for crop irrigation.
4. Industries: Almost every industry requires water as a mixing, cooling, or cleaning agent. It is required to produce foods, chemicals, medicines, and a variety of other products.
5. The energy from water in the dams is used to generate power. 
6. Rivers and oceans provide a surface for transportation and shipping.

Summary

Water is a clear transparent liquid. Water is the most common and useful substance around us. Water exists in all three states in nature: vapour in the air, liquid in rivers, lakes, and seas, and solid in the polar regions and snow-capped mountains. Sources of water are surface water, groundwater and above surface water. Water is the main substance required for all living organisms. It is also used for domestic purposes, industries, agriculture, etc.

FAQs on Sources of Water

Let’s look at some of the commonly asked questions about sources of water:

Q.1. What are \(10\) sources of water?
Ans: The \(10\) water sources are sea, river, reservoir, lake, rain, hand pump, well, stream, spring water and ponds.

Q.2. What are the 5 sources of water?
Ans: The main five sources of water are:
1. River and lake water
2. Well water
3. Springwater
4. Rainwater
5. Sea and ocean water

Q.3. What are the major sources of water?
Ans: The major sources of water are:
a. Surface-water
b. Underground water
c. Above surface water

Q.4. What are some natural sources of water?
Ans: The natural sources of water are rainwater, underground water and surface water.

Q.5. What are the sources of freshwater?
Ans: The freshwater sources are lake water, pond water, stream water, groundwater and river water.

We hope this article on sources of water has helped you. If you have any queries, drop a comment below, and we will get back to you.