Water Resources

4/5th of earth’s surface is covered by water. Two major water resources available on earth are :
1. Fresh Water Resources
Only 3% of total water is available as fresh water. Fresh water is a finite resource. through global hydrological cycle ocean maintains a perennial flow of fresh water. Fresh water has multiple applications in daily human life. India has vast fresh water stretches in form of rivers (27360 km), canals and irrigational channels (112650 km). However there are some problems confronting this limited resource :
1. Deforestation has reduced water absorption, storage in catchment areas and has led to soil erosion and floods.

4. Building of dams to store flood water for use during dry periods.
5.Proper afforestation of hills and landscapes.
6. Building of tanks, ponds and other types of water reservoirs

2. Ocean Resources
About 70% of earth’s crust is covered by oceans. As compared to other natural resources ocean resources are still untapped but man is gradually heading towards exploitation.
1. Oceans are a source of fish. The global animal fish catch is about 73 million tones of which India’s share is 2.5 million tones.
2. A number of kelps and red sea weeds are edible. The algae are rich in minerals and vitamins