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www.GOALias.blogspot.comprovided by a well-planned pipe system.When the civic authorities supply waterthrough pipes not all of it may reachthe destination. You might have seenwater supply pipes leaking and a lot ofwater gushing out of the pipes. It isthe responsibility of the civicauthorities to prevent such wastage ofprecious water.Mismanagement or wastage maytake place at the level of individuals also.All of us, knowingly or unknowingly,waste water while brushing teeth,shaving, bathing, washing and duringmany other activities. Leaking taps isanother source of huge water wastage.We waste water as though we do not needwater the next time!We have seen that most of the waterthat we get as rainfall just flows away.This is a waste of precious naturalresource. The rainwater can be used torecharge the groundwater. This isreferred to as water harvesting orrainwater harvesting, about which youhave learnt in Class VI.Find out if the buildings in yourneighbourhood have water harvestingsystems installed.We have at many places in India anage old practice of water storage andwater recharge like the bawris. Bawriwas the traditional way of collectingwater. With time the bawris fell intodisuse and garbage started piling in thesereservoirs. However, because of the acutewater shortage, people in these areashave had to rethink. The bawris are beingrevived. Today the situation is that inspiteof scanty rains these places aremanaging their water needs well.A farmer using water in the field canalso use water economically. Maybeyou have heard of drip irrigation(Fig. 16.9). Drip irrigation is a techniqueof watering plants by making use ofnarrow tubings which deliver waterdirectly at the base of the plant.A case studyBhujpur in the Kutch area of Gujarat has a very erratic rainfall. The only sourceof freshwater lies underground because rivers in this area do not have waterthroughout the year. Over the years, demand for water has grown. The withdrawalof groundwater has far exceeded recharge. As a result the water table has gonedown alarmingly.In 1989, the villagers along with a non-governmental organisation, decided toharvest rainwater. Eighteen check-dams were built on the Rukmavati river andits many tributaries. The water so collected increased percolation through thesoil and recharged the aquifers.According to farmers, the wells have water now and the water that flowed intothe sea and was wasted has become available for irrigation.ATER: : A PRECIOUSWATERATER201RECIOUS RESOURCE201