Key Points:

• The drainage system in India can be divided into two categories 
  1)Himalayan rives and 2) Peninsular rivers.
• The Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra are the Himalayan rives. The Ganga is joined by a large number of tributaries. The main tributaries of the Indus are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
  The Western Ghats are the water divide between the major peninsular rivers, which discharge their water in the Bay of Bengal. The Godavari is the largest peninsular river system.
• Any area inflow = precipitation + surface flow + ground water flow.
• The total amount of water added to the atmosphere from the evaporation and transpiration is called Evapotranspiration. A portion of the rainfall percolates into the soil and travels to the underground strata and recharges the aquifers.
• Water reaches the root zone of crops either through rainfall or some process of irrigation. Water used for drinking, cooking, washing, cleaning and for raising of animals and it is a vital need. Besides daily use and agricultural use, water is very much required for industries too.
• Current laws on ground water use are inappropriate because they have failed to strike a balance between access to groundwater and land ownership. As of now, they don’t limit the amount of water that can be sourced the land owner.
• Water is common resource which should enjoyed by all the people. Hence, underground water too is a ‘public property’.
• Drinking water is the first priority as well as a human right. Hence, it is instructed that panchayati raj institutions must have control over the use of ground water.
• Protection and preservation of water resources require a collective action at the local level and appropriate laws and policies at the state and central levels. Through careful planning and social initiative, a small region can have a more judicious allocation of water for all is achievable.

Key words:

• Flow Resources: A flow resource does not remain in one location and moves because of natural actions on the physical environment. It must be used when and where it occurs. 
  Ex. Running Water.
• Ground Water: Water beneath the Earth’s surface is called ground water, which is get stored often between saturated soil and rock that supplies water to wells and springs.
• Drainage: The process by which water waste is drained from an area.
• Water Sharing Law: Laws pertaining to sharing of river waters.
• Aquifer: A layer of rock or soil that can absorb and hold water.
• Water Shed: A line of high land where streams on one side flow into one river and streams on other side flow into another river.
• Catchment Area: Area around a river.
• Drought: Scarcity of rain fall leading to dryness of land.
• Percolation: To move gradually through a surface that has very small holes.