Skip to content

Read the given source and… (Social Science 2023 32/4/1 Q35)

questionbuddy.in/q/cbse-10-social-science-2023-32-4-1-q35-source-rainwater-harvesting-many-thought

Social ScienceCBSE Class 10 · Board exam 2023, set 32/4/1 · 4 marks · Case-based

CBSE Class 10 Social Science 2023: question 35

Set in the CBSE Class 10 board exam of 2023, paper 32/4/1, section E, question 35, for 4 marks. Try it first; the hints and our step-by-step solution are below.

Q35 · 4 marks · Case-basedCompetency-basedWater Resources

Read the given source and answer the questions that follow:
RAINWATER HARVESTING
Many thought that given the disadvantages and rising resistance against the multi purpose projects, water harvesting system was a viable alternative, both socio-economically and environmentally. In ancient India, along with the sophisticated hydraulic structures, there existed an extraordinary tradition of water harvesting system. People had in-depth knowledge of rainfall regimes and soil types and developed wide ranging techniques to harvest rainwater, groundwater, river water and flood water in keeping with the local ecological conditions and their water needs. In hill and mountainous regions, people built diversion channels like the 'guls' or 'kuls' of the Western Himalayas for agriculture. 'Rooftop rainwater harvesting' was commonly practised to store drinking water, particularly in Rajasthan. In the flood plains of Bengal, people developed inundation channels to irrigate their fields. In arid and semi-arid regions, agricultural fields were converted into rain fed storage structures that allowed the water to stand and moisten the soil like the 'khadins' in Jaisalmer and 'Johads' in other parts of Rajasthan.

  1. (I)

    Why is water harvesting system a viable alternative?

    1 mark
  2. (II)

    Describe the process of 'rooftop rainwater harvesting.'

    1 mark
  3. (III)

    Mention any two methods adopted by ancient India for water conservation.

    2 marks

Source: official question paper from cbse.gov.in (PDF). See it in the full 2023 board paper, set 32/4/1.

Hints

Open one hint at a time and try again before the next.

Hint 1

Think about cost and environmental impact compared with big dams.

Hint 2

Trace the water from the roof to the pipe, filter, sump and well.

Hint 3

The passage lists methods region by region: Himalayas, Rajasthan, Bengal.

Step-by-step solution

Each step shows the marks it earns, as an examiner would award them. Checked by an independent re-solve from the question paper.

  1. (i) Water harvesting is inexpensive, affordable to common people, and environmentally friendly, without the disadvantages of multipurpose projects.

    1 mark

  2. (ii) Rainwater from the roof is collected through a PVC pipe, filtered through sand and bricks, and sent by an underground pipe to a sump for immediate use. Excess water goes to a well, which recharges groundwater.

    1 mark

  3. (iii) In hilly regions people built diversion channels such as guls or kuls in the Western Himalayas for agriculture.

    1 mark

  4. (iii) Rooftop harvesting was practised in Rajasthan for drinking water. Other methods were inundation channels in Bengal and khadins and johads in Rajasthan (any one more).

    1 mark

Answer: (i) It is cheap, affordable and eco-friendly. (ii) Roof water is collected, filtered, stored in a sump, and the excess recharges groundwater through a well. (iii) Guls or kuls, rooftop harvesting, inundation channels, khadins or johads (any two).

Where the marks are

  • Viable because inexpensive, affordable or eco-friendly (1 mark)
  • Describes roof-top harvesting process (1 mark)
  • First ancient method named (1 mark)
  • Second ancient method named (1 mark)

Revise the chapter

Practise this chapterBoard-style questions from Water Resources, one at a time, marked against the answer key and marking points.Back to the full paper2023 board paper, set 32/4/1: every question, by section.

The question is transcribed from the official paper; figures are described in words. The solution, hints and chapter tag are ours. Spotted an error? Write tosupport@questionbuddy.in.