UPSC Prelims 2010·GS1·geography·ecology and environment

Consider the following statements: 1. On the planet Earth, the fresh water available for use amounts to about less than 1% of the total water found. 2. Of the total fresh water found on the planet Earth 95% is bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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  1. A1 onlyCorrect
  2. B2 only
  3. CBoth 1 and 2
  4. DNeither 1 nor 2

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct. Only a very small fraction of the Earth's total water is readily available freshwater for human use. While freshwater accounts for about 2.5-3% of all water, most of it is locked away in glaciers, ice caps, and deep groundwater. The easily accessible freshwater (rivers, lakes, shallow groundwater) is indeed less than 1% of the total water on Earth, often cited as around 0.3% to 0.5%. Statement 2 is incorrect. Of the total freshwater on Earth, approximately 68-69% is bound up in glaciers and ice caps. Another significant portion (about 30-31%) is groundwater. The figure of 95% for polar ice caps and glaciers is too high. Therefore, only statement 1 is correct.
geography: Consider the following statements: 1. On the planet Earth, the fresh water available for use amounts to about less than

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