Water, air, and fire are some of the basic needs of humans, without which they cannot survive. Water is one of the essential natural resources after air, without which living organisms cannot survive for a longer period. Conservation of natural resources is imperative to live a prosperous and sustainable life.
From ancient times water has been used as a fundamental resource. One of the oldest civilizations, the Indus Valley civilization, was situated on the banks of the river Indus to fulfil all the water-related requirements of the people. So by this, we can observe that from medieval times only people knew the importance of water, and it is the prime necessity for the growth and survival of mankind as well as to get technologically evolved. In India, we have some areas where water is scarcely available and some areas where water is found abundantly. If we carefully observe, it is noticed that the areas which have water scarcity are economically and technologically not advanced. So we can also relate the shortage of water to the socio-economic conditions of the people living in that area.
Since the medieval age, we have been using several sustainable methods in which water is used for the irrigation of fields. In Himachal Pradesh, people used to have Kulhs, by which they shared water with the local population for irrigation. Local residents had control over the sharing method to conserve water resources. During British rule, they constructed big dams for the conservation of water and the natural flow of water for irrigation and domestic uses. Dams are the barriers built across the river or lake to hold water giving an altitude to the water.
Advantages of Dam:
- Constant production of electricity.
- Dams can be used as one of the sources of water for irrigation and domestic purposes.
- The electricity produced by the dam does not produce greenhouse gases. Dams do not contribute to any air or water pollution.
Disadvantages of Dam:
- They are extremely expensive to build.
- They occupy a large space of land.
- The construction of dams can cause some serious geological damage.
This was a brief discussion about the necessity of water and how it has been used for centuries as a valuable natural resource for the survival of humans and their evolution. To get a clear picture of the importance of water and its various uses in the old civilization, watch the video.
Here we had a brief discussion on water which is a precious and essential resource for Humans.
