CUET UG Geography Booster Test 1-Management and Conservation

Statement I is incorrect because the text establishes that water availability from the sea or ocean is considered negligible due to the high cost of desalinisation. It is not currently a highly feasible or low-cost solution for wide-scale sustainable water management. Statement II is correct because the combination of a declining freshwater supply and growing multi-sectoral demand creates an urgent need to conserve and manage water resources sustainably. Therefore, only Statement II is correct, validating Option B.

India enacted environmental legislation in a phased manner to strengthen water pollution control. The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 established institutions for preventing and controlling water pollution, making 1 → a. The Water Cess Act, 1977 imposed a cess on water consumption by industries and local authorities to fund pollution control programmes, making 2 → b. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, enacted after the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, empowered the Central Government to coordinate environmental protection measures, making 3 → c. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), constituted under the Water Act, functions as the apex body for monitoring and controlling water pollution across the country, making 4 → d. Thus, the correct matching is: 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d Hence, Option A is the correct answer.

The National Water Policy 2012 prioritizes water allocation planning and conservation measures. To promote more efficient use, the policy recommends developing a system of "water footprints" alongside regular water auditing. A water footprint measures the total volume of freshwater used directly and indirectly by consumers, businesses, or agricultural processes. Establishing these footprints creates clear benchmarks that help sectors monitor, evaluate, and reduce their overall water consumption, validating Option A.

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) aims to optimize water use across the agricultural sector. The sub-component known as "Per Drop More Crop" focuses on micro-irrigation systems like drip lines and sprinklers. By delivering water directly to plant roots instead of flooding the entire field, this approach minimizes evaporation and weed growth. A farmer adopting this method helps fulfill the core objective of improving on-farm water use efficiency to reduce waste, validating Option B.

According to the provided passage, industrial facilities can substitute lower-quality water for non-potable operations. The text states: "Use of water of lesser quality such as reclaimed wastewater would be an attractive option for industries for cooling and fire fighting to reduce their water cost." This indicates that utilizing recycled wastewater provides a clear financial benefit by lowering raw resource costs, validating Option B.

The passage highlights how recycling home graywater helps protect higher-quality water supplies. By using water collected from bathing, dishwashing, or vehicle washing to water gardens, residents avoid drawing on treated municipal drinking water networks. The passage explicitly confirms this primary benefit in its closing sentence: "This would conserve better quality of water for drinking purposes," validating Option C.

Watershed management projects progress from local structural works to broader socio-ecological goals. The process begins on the ground by constructing check dams and trenches to address a physical problem: the prevention of surface runoff and soil erosion (2). Once water is retained within the basin, it supports wider resources, enabling the judicious use of all natural, biotic, and human assets in the area (1). Finally, this resource security achieves the program's ultimate long-term objective: bringing a sustainable balance between natural resources and human society (3). This logical progression corresponds to the sequence 2, 1, 3, validating Option A.

Statement I is correct because percolation tanks and earthen dug-out ponds (known as Johads in Rajasthan) are standard methods used to hold surface runoff, allowing it to seep into the ground and recharge local water tables. Statement II is incorrect because Tamil Nadu was a pioneer in water legislation, passing laws that make rainwater harvesting structures compulsory for all buildings. The state enforces, rather than prohibits, these recharge systems. Thus, only Statement I is true, validating Option A.

The social reforms in Ralegan Siddhi were designed to minimize internal conflict and promote community cooperation. Traditional local elections can lead to political rivalry, which often disrupts collective work on community projects. By choosing local body members through consensus, the village ensured that leaders enjoyed broad community support. This process made leaders complete representatives of the people, helping them coordinate voluntary labor and enforce community resource rules effectively, validating Option B.

In Ralegan Siddhi, social organizer Anna Hazare emphasized community self-reliance over dependence on state grants. He explained that contributing voluntary labor (Shramdaan) reduces the need for external financial aid. When every household contributes time and effort, the financial burden is minimized, and the project becomes a shared community asset. The textbook uses the phrase "socialised the costs of the projects" to describe how community labor replaced cash outlays, validating Option C.

Statement I is incorrect because the Haryali project is a prominent Central Government scheme, not a state-sponsored initiative, though it is executed on the ground by local Gram Panchayats. Statement II is correct because the program's primary goal is to help rural populations manage their water resources effectively. It provides infrastructure to capture rainwater, which helps secure drinking water supplies, expand irrigation, support local fisheries, and fund community afforestation projects. Thus, only Statement II is correct, validating Option B.

The Atal Bhujal Yojana (Atal Jal) is a Central Sector Scheme aimed at improving groundwater management through community participation. It is implemented in 7 states, making 1 → a. The programme covers 8,220 water-stressed Gram Panchayats, making 2 → b. Its principal objective is community-led sustainable groundwater management, making 3 → c. The scheme specifically addresses the conservation and sustainable use of groundwater resources, making 4 → d. Thus, the correct matching is: 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d Hence, Option A is the correct answer.

Both statements accurately pair state-level water conservation initiatives with their respective regions. Statement I is correct because the Neeru-Meeru initiative was launched by Andhra Pradesh to engage the public in building water harvesting infrastructure like check dams and percolation tanks. Statement II is also correct because the Arvary Pani Sansad refers to the community-led river parliament formed in the Alwar district of Rajasthan to restore local streams using traditional Johads. Since both pairings are correct, Option C is the correct choice.

The recovery of the water table in Alwar followed a clear step-by-step process. First, local communities organized themselves to create a participatory forum called the Arvary Pani Sansad (2). Next, this group coordinated community efforts to construct traditional earth check dams and dug-out storage ponds, known locally as Johads (1). Finally, these structures captured seasonal monsoon runoff, allowing water to filter down into the ground, recharge depleted aquifers, and restore local water availability (3). This sequence matches Option A.

Rooftop rainwater harvesting captures precipitation before it runs off into municipal drains. Collecting this water provides households with an independent source for daily needs, including flushing toilets, washing clothes, and watering gardens. By using stored rainwater for these household tasks, communities reduce their reliance on pumping groundwater from local aquifers. The textbook notes that this practice helps reduce community dependence on groundwater for domestic use, validating Option B.

In the dry districts of Rajasthan, families rely on traditional engineering to secure drinking water. They construct covered underground storage tanks, known locally as Tankas or Kunds, inside their houses or courtyards. These sealed tanks connect to clean, plastered rooftop or courtyard catchment areas via pipes. When it rains, water flows into the Tanka, where it remains protected from evaporation and contamination to provide a reliable source of drinking water throughout the dry season, validating Option C.

Rainwater harvesting helps improve groundwater quality through a step-by-step physical process. First, clean rainwater is collected from rooftops or open catchments and directed through pipes into recharge wells, borewells, or filtration pits (2). Next, this guided surface water flows down into depleted underground aquifers, raising the overall groundwater table (3). Finally, adding this clean freshwater dilutes the concentration of existing underground contaminants, such as fluorides, nitrates, and salts, improving overall water quality (1). This mechanical order matches the sequence 2, 3, 1, validating Option A.

Soil erosion occurs when fast-moving surface water flows unimpeded across exposed land, washing away fertile topsoil. Rainwater harvesting conceptually prevents this by interrupting the flow of water. By installing rooftop catchments, check dams, contour trenches, and storage ponds, these systems capture and store rainwater close to where it falls. This reduces the volume and speed of surface runoff, preventing water from gaining enough velocity to erode the land, validating Option B.

The transformation of Ralegan Siddhi combined water management with social reform. To sustain economic improvements from groundwater recharge, the village worked to eliminate social divisions. They formed a dedicated youth group called the "Tarun Mandal." This group worked to dismantle discriminatory social practices, enforcing bans on the dowry system, caste discrimination, and untouchability, while promoting collective community development, validating Option B.

The Ralegan Siddhi watershed development programme combined social reforms with natural resource management. Setting up Nyay Panchayats enabled local settlement of disputes, and no case was referred to the police thereafter, making 1 → a. Cultivation of pulses and oilseeds replaced crops like sugarcane because these crops require much less water, making 2 → b. Banning open grazing protected regenerating vegetation, helping reduce soil erosion and land degradation, making 3 → c. Construction of check dams, percolation tanks, and contour bunds increased groundwater recharge and irrigation potential, making 4 → d. Thus, the correct matching is: 1-a, 2-b, 3-c, 4-d Hence, Option A is the correct answer.