In western Rajasthan, the expansion of canal irrigation in the latter half of the twentieth century coincided with the gradual abandonment of traditional rooftop rainwater harvesting. Elsewhere in India, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation have led to a steep rise in groundwater extraction through tube-wells. Analysing BOTH trends together, explain how solutions introduced to solve an immediate water problem can themselves generate a long-term water crisis.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:32 · grounding rag
Model Answer
When canal irrigation (Indira Gandhi Canal) became available in western Rajasthan, people abandoned traditional rooftop rainwater harvesting (tankas). This created dependence on a single external source, making communities vulnerable if canal supply fails or becomes unreliable.
Similarly, rapid industrialisation and urbanisation led to excessive groundwater extraction through tube-wells, causing falling groundwater levels and depletion of a resource that takes years to recharge.
In both cases, the immediate solution — canal water or tube-wells — addressed the current shortage but undermined long-term water security by destroying self-sufficient local systems and over-exploiting finite resources. Thus, short-term fixes, without sustainable management, generate a deeper, harder-to-reverse water crisis.
Source: Water Resources, Chapter 3 (Water Scarcity and Rainwater Harvesting sections)
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Explanation
- The examiner wants you to link both trends (canal irrigation → abandonment of tankas; industrialisation → tube-well overuse) and draw a common analytical conclusion: short-term solutions create long-term dependence/depletion.
- Key terms to use: dependence on a single source, groundwater depletion, sustainable management, self-sufficient local systems.
- Don't just describe the two trends separately — the question says "analysing BOTH together," so your concluding sentence must synthesise them.
- At 3 marks, ~70–80 words is ideal; avoid writing more than 90 words.