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CHAPTER - I
WATER RESOURCES
INTRODUCTION
Water the most prolific visible natural resource is covering about 70% of the
earth's total surface area. Existence of water on the earth differentiates our
planet from other planets, because without water no life can exist. More than
97% of water occurs as saline water in oceans, and the balance water is
available in various forms like glaciers, rivers and streams, groundwater etc.
The table indicates the distribution of water on earth :
Table 1.1 : Stocks of water on earth
It may be observed from the table that only a negligible part of the total water
resources that are available in streams and rivers which influence the human
civilization from the time immemorial. Only a limited groundwater resources
are withdrawn from a depth less than 1 km. Major part of water resources occur
in oceans as saline water.
