SOCIAL STUDIES

PROJECT Natural Resource

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TOPIC-WATER

Introduction
Water is a chemical compound and may found in a liquid form or in a solid form or in a gaseous form. All this three forms of water are extremely useful to human beings and other living things. No life can exist without water. Water is a natural resource. Water required for our needs must be good and it should not contain unwanted impurities or harmful bacteria in it. Water should be wholesome safe to the people for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing etc. Water is also used for maintaining better sanitation, beautification of surrounding, irrigation, fire fighting, generation of electricity etc.

Uses of water
Try to imagine life without water. It is impossible. Water is used for drinking, bathing, washing etc. Without water can we do this thing. No. Water is a natural resource which we have to use it in a manner. Not only human beings need water, plants also need water for dispersal, to make their seed soft and for normal growth. As we can see in the previous slides animals also need water. Animals which live in the water are called aquatic animal.

Sources of water
The various sources of water are available on the earth are Surface sources such as ponds and lakes, rivers, ocean and storage from dam i.e reservoirs. Underground sources such as springs, wells, tube-wells etc.

WATER IS USED TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY.

A Dam is used a barrier that blocks flowing water or sends it in a new direction.
People and animals build dams to control rivers and to create ponds and lakes. A beavers dam work in much the same way as the giant dams that people build. People throughout the world have built dams since ancient times. Early Egyptians built a dam almost 5,000 years ago. The Chinese built stone structures to block rivers as early as 240 BC. Two dams in Spain that were built ancient Romans are still in use today. People build dams to keep rivers from flooding and to save water. During heavy rains a rivers water may rise too high. Without a dam to contain it, the extra water is wasted as it flows away unused. With a dam in place , a deep reservoir, or pool, of water builds up behind the dam. This extra water can be put to many good uses. It might be used as a lake for boating or swimming, for drinking water, for farm irrigation, or in manufacturing. The force created by water rushing through pipes in a dam is also useful. The flowing water makes wheels called turbines spin. The turbines run machines called generators, which produce electricity. This type of power is known as hydroelectric power.

EARTHQUAKE IN WATER- TSUNAMI.

Natural Disasters, both on land and under the ocean, may cause deadly
ocean waves called tsunamis. By the time a tsunami reaches shore it has gained tremendous size and power. Tsunami can wipe out entire coastal village or towns. Earthquakes, landslides or volcanic eruptions can trigger waves in a nearby ocean . These waves may travel for thousands of miles. They may move as fast as 500 miles [ 800 Kilometers ] an hour. As they approach a coastline, the waves move more slowly. They also rise often to heights as great as 100 meters [30 meters ]. As the first huge wave nears land, the coastal water often draws back dramatically. Then the tsunami hits the land. Tsunami can destroy trees, buildings and even whole beach. Tsunamis cannot be stopped, but there are ways to defend against them. Scientists around the world watch for early signs of earthquakes . They also note unusual changes in ocean levels. With this information, Scientists can warn people to leave areas that a tsunami might hit . The Pacific Ocean is the site of many tsunamis, but tsunamis can form in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, too. A Powerful earthquake struck beneath the Indian Ocean in December 2004. The earthquake set off tsunamis that hit about 10 countries. More than 2,00,000 people died. This was the worst tsunami ever recorded.

Flood
When water overflows onto dry land, a flood takes place. Floods have
always been a part of life on earth. Almost every culture has a legend about a great flood . From the time of the earliest civilizations people have built their cities along rivers because humans rely on the rivers as sources of water to drink and to grow their crops. River floods therefore affect many people. In some places have built dams or levees [ types of barriers ] to protect lands from flooding. Floods can be dangerous and destructive each year. Some years are far worse. In 1993 the Great Flood in the mid-west alone caused more than 12 billion dollars in damage and killed 48 people. Floods are a part of nearly 90 percent of all natural disasters in the United States. Floods are not always bad. In many places flood bring rich soil and needed water to farmland. People in ancient Egypt depended on the flooding of the Nile River every year to help them grow their crops.