Water The Elixir of Life BTech II Semester

In this essay “Water-The Elixir Of Life”, Sir C.V.Raman brings out how water is indispensable to plant and human life and how it also causes evils like soil-erosion. He also tells excess of water can be preserved for good purposes.                                          

 In the first part of the essay, he talks poetically of the beauty of water. Water trickling down the rocks or water collected in small ponds that satisfy the thirst of passing cattle is beautiful sights. Big tanks play a vital role in South Indian agriculture. Much of the rice is grown under them. It is a beautiful sight to watch the sun reservoir set over them.

One of the most remarkable facts about water is that it carries silt to far-off places where it is finally deposited .The land where silt is deposited is usually very fertile. The silt that mixes with the salt water of the sea precipitates rapidly. The color of the water changes successively from the muddy red or brown to yellow and green and finally to the blue of the deep sea. These varying shades are also fascinating.

The flow of water has undoubtedly played a great part in geological processes. Rapidly flowing water carries away the rich top layer of the soil. This phenomenon is called soil erosion. The problem of soil erosion is of major significance in various countries especially in India. Soil erosion in the initial stage is unnoticed. Later, it results in the formation of deep gullies, ravines and ruts. These things affect agriculture. The terracing of the land, the construction of bunds to check the flow of water, the practice of contour cultivation and the planting of some types of vegetation are the measures that can be used to check soil erosion.                                                                                                                                             

Water is the basic of all life. Every animal and plant contains water in its body, water is essential for its body. Moisture in the soil is equally important for the life and growth of plant trees.

The conservation and proper utilization of water is fundamental for human welfare. At present streams and rivers wastefully empty themselves into the sea. It is clear that the adoption of techniques preventing soil erosion would help to conserve and keep the water where it is wanted.