Uses of water

• The uses of water can be broadly divided into agricultural, domestic, and industrial purposes.
• The major portion of water in India is used in agriculture, as India is mainly an agricultural country.
• Nearly 60% of the Indian population depends on agriculture for their living, and uses nearly 90% of all water for irrigation.
• Irrigation systems are necessary because the monsoons are unpredictable and in regions where cultivation completely depends on the rains, a weak monsoon season can result in reduced yields or even total crop failure.
• Water required for household use is called domestic water.
• It is required for a variety of purposes such as drinking, preparing food, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, watering plants, etc. We generally get water in our homes either delivered by the municipal water distribution system or we extract it from an underground source through a motor-driven tube-well.
• In cities, municipal water treatment plants supply homes with treated water that matches drinking water standards.
• In rural areas, however, over 80% of the domestic water comes from underground sources.

Water distribution and water treatment system in a city

• In areas where water is scarce or where wells, ponds, and rivers dry up in summers, people have to travel long distances to fetch water for their daily needs.
• Industry depends on water at all levels of production.
• It is used as a raw material, a solvent, a coolant, a transport agent, and for generating electricity.
• Due to rapid industrial development, the demand for water in this area has increased in the past several years.