Question

How significant are the laws, public action, in the context of water resources? Write a short note on the ideas discussed in the last two sections of the chapter.

SCERT Telangana Class 10th Social Studies Ch 5 Indian Rivers and Water Resources

Answer 1

The current laws on groundwater usage in many states are outdated and inappropriate. They need to be updated according to current situations, to be effective. Water resources require collective action. This has to be done at the local level and also at state and central levels with appropriate laws.
There are limits to how much water land owners could take out. This has led to problematic issues in water sourcing and consumption.
Water is a collective pool of resource so it is not easy to regulate it. Consumption of one person affects the availability for others. Water use and regulation for any region whether a small watershed or river basin, should take into account all the inflows and outflows. 

Answer 2

Explanation:

• People's actions are significant in context of water resources.

• People imposed themselves ban felling trees, free grazing to protect soil fertility.

• They even imposed ban on irrigation and extensive water usage crops.

• They put up practices for water harvesting and diversification of crops.

• The current laws about groundwater in many states are both outdated and inappropriate.

• These are based on the basic link between access to groundwater and land ownership which is flowed.

• Land owners were not restricted in the amount of water they can take out.

• State governments have often chosen to increase power subsidies to make extraction of even deeper layers of groundwater possible.

• Drining water is the first priority institutions must have control over the use of groundwater.