What is water resource

India had a long tradition of building various structures to manage water resources. Irrigation systems were built as early as during the Mauryan Empire.

At present, many multipurpose dam projects had been built in India. These dams serve many purposes. They prevent flood by checking the flow of water. The water from the dams is used through a system of canals to irrigate far flung areas. Dams are also used for electricity generation. Moreover, drinking water is also supplied from the dams.

But dams have caused a lot of people being displaced from their ancestral lands. Additionally, a vast tract of land gets submerged in the catchment area of dam. This results in large scale environmental consequences. Due to these reasons, many movement groups have begun protesting against building of large dams. Narmada Bachao Andolan is an example of one such movement.