Which of the following Situations can be attributed to sustained excessive groundwater pumping in a basin? 1. Drying up of small Lakes and streams over a period in spite of normal rainfall 2. Deterioration of groundwater quality in certain aquifers 3. Land subsidence in the basin 4. Increase in seismic activity 5. Increased cost of groundwater extraction

Which of the following Situations can be attributed to sustained excessive groundwater pumping in a basin? 1. Drying up of small Lakes and streams over a period in spite of normal rainfall 2. Deterioration of groundwater quality in certain aquifers 3. Land subsidence in the basin 4. Increase in seismic activity 5. Increased cost of groundwater extraction Correct Answer 1. 2, 3 and 5 only

Concept:

Some negative effects of excessive groundwater depletion from a basin are:

  1. Drying up of wells, streams and lakes: Excessive pumping results in reduction in water level in wells, streams and lakes and in extreme cases those can be dried up in spite of normal rainfall. This is because water is being pumped out even before the ground water can be recharged by the rainfall.
  2. Deterioration of water quality: In case of aquifers in coastal areas, under natural conditions the boundary between the freshwater and saltwater tends to be relatively stable, but excessive pumping can cause saltwater to migrate inland and upward, resulting in saltwater contamination and degradation of the water quality.
  3. Increased ground water extraction costs: As the water table lowers, the water must be pumped from greater depth to reach the surface which involves more energy. So, it will increase the cost of extraction of ground water substantially.
  4. Land subsidence: Land subsidence occurs when there is a loss of support below ground. The overuse of groundwater results in reduction in compactness and shearing strength of soil, which leads to land subsidence.

 

Note: Seismic activity predominantly occurs either due to tectonic activities under the earth’s core or due to volcanic eruptions. There is no relation between excessive ground water depletion and seismic activity.

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In the question given below,three paragraphs are given, which arejumbled. Find the correct sequence ofthese paragraphs so that they form ameaningful passage.
A. Climate change is warming the ocean,but its warming land faster and thatsreally bad news for air quality all overthe world, says a new University ofCalifornia, Riverside study. The study,published February 4 in Nature ClimateChange, shows that the contrast inwarming between the continents andsea, called the land-sea warmingcontrast, drives an increasedconcentration of aerosols in theatmosphere that cause airpollution. Aerosols affect the climatesystem, including disturbances to thewater cycle, as well as human health.They also cause smog and other kinds ofair pollution that can lead to healthproblems for people, animals, andplants.
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Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and click the button corresponding to it. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest and northernmost state in the United States, ending at a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely complicated to operate. The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons, climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags, makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents", long sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-down route is determined by the often harsh demands of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet, depending largely upon the type of terrain and the properties of the soil. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest and most expensive construction project ever undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single business could raise that much money, so 8 major oil companies formed a consortium in order to share the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid into the pipeline-construction fund according to the size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous problems of climate, supply shortage, equipment breakdowns, labour disagreements, treacherous terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed and is operating.
Which of the following were not problems faced while constructing the pipeline?
Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and click the button corresponding to it. The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic Ocean. It stretches southward across the largest and northernmost state in the United States, ending at a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely complicated to operate. The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It weaves through crooked canyons, climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags, makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily. Resting on H-shaped steel racks called "bents", long sections of the pipeline follow a zigzag course high above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the surface later on. The pattern of the pipeline's up-and-down route is determined by the often harsh demands of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet, depending largely upon the type of terrain and the properties of the soil. One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest and most expensive construction project ever undertaken by private industry. In fact, no single business could raise that much money, so 8 major oil companies formed a consortium in order to share the costs. Each company controlled oil rights to particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid into the pipeline-construction fund according to the size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous problems of climate, supply shortage, equipment breakdowns, labour disagreements, treacherous terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed and is operating.
The Alaskan pipeline ends