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Q72 (IAS/2021) Geography › World Physical Geography › Ocean water properties Official Key

With reference to the water on the planet Earth, consider the following statements : 1. The amount of water in the rivers and lakes is more than the amount of groundwater. 2. The amount of water in polar ice caps and glaciers is more than the amount of groundwater. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2. To understand this, we must look at the global distribution of Earth's water resources.

According to the USGS and NCERT data, approximately 97% of Earth's water is in the oceans (saline). Of the remaining 3% which is freshwater, the distribution is as follows:

  • Glaciers and Polar Ice Caps: Approximately 68.7% of freshwater.
  • Groundwater: Approximately 30.1% of freshwater.
  • Surface water (Lakes, Rivers, etc.): Only about 0.3% of total freshwater.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The volume of groundwater (30.1%) significantly exceeds the water found in all rivers and lakes combined (less than 1%).

Statement 2 is correct: Ice caps and glaciers constitute the largest reservoir of freshwater on Earth, holding more than double the amount of water stored underground as groundwater. Therefore, Option 2 is the only correct statement.

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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to the water on the planet Earth, consider the following statements : 1. The amount of water in the rivers and lakes is m…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 5/10 · 5/10

This is a textbook 'Sitter' directly from NCERT Class XI Physical Geography (Chapter 13, Table 13.1). No current affairs or advanced books were needed. The strategy is simple: whenever NCERT provides a data table comparing natural phenomena (volumes, lengths, composition), memorize the descending order hierarchy immediately.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in rivers and lakes greater than the total volume of groundwater?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Groundwater* | 0.62% | | Freshwater Lakes | 0.009% | | Rivers | 0.0001%"
Why this source?
  • Provides percentage breakdown of Earth's water showing Groundwater = 0.62% while Freshwater Lakes = 0.009% and Rivers = 0.0001%.
  • These percentages indicate groundwater holds a far larger share of Earth's water than lakes or rivers.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Another 30 percent of freshwater is in the ground. Surface-water sources, such as rivers, only constitute about 300 cubic miles (about 1/10,000 th of one percent of total water)."
Why this source?
  • States that about 30 percent of freshwater is in the ground (groundwater).
  • States surface-water sources such as rivers constitute only about 300 cubic miles (about 1/10,000th of one percent of total water), showing rivers are tiny compared to groundwater.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > hydrosphere > p. 9
Strength: 4/5
“About 71 per cent of Earth's surface is occupied by water. Some 97.3 per cent of its volume is currently in the ocean, the maximum extent of which is in the southern hemisphere. Of the 2.7 percent terrestrial water, most is polar snow and ice. Groundwater (the majority below soil level) is in lakes and rivers.”
Why relevant

Gives the global breakdown: oceans hold ~97.3% of Earth's water and '2.7 percent terrestrial water' is the pool that contains lakes, rivers, groundwater, ice, etc.

How to extend

A student can take 2.7% as the total non‑ocean water and combine it with percentage shares for groundwater and lakes from other snippets to compare volumes.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > Lakes > p. 23
Strength: 5/5
“Lakes contain approximately 0.017 per cent of the Earth's water, or about 0.7 per cent of that not contained in the oceans. Slightly more than half is held in freshwater lakes (lakes with outlets); the rest is saline lakes (lakes without outlets). About 75 per cent of total volume of freshwater lakes occurs in the large lakes of North America, Lake Baikal in Russia, and the large lakes of East Africa. Te residence time of water in the big lakes is about ten years, except the Caspian Sea in which the residence time is about 200 years.”
Why relevant

Quantifies lake water: lakes contain ~0.017% of Earth's water (about 0.7% of non‑ocean water).

How to extend

Compare this absolute lake fraction (0.017%) to the groundwater fraction derived from the non‑ocean total to judge which is larger.

Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > groundwater > p. 22
Strength: 5/5
“Te water contained in the pore spaces of rock and soil is known as groundwater. About 20 per cent of water not in the oceans, occurs as groundwater. Soil moisture accounts for about 0.005 per cent of the Earth's water, or about 0.5 per cent of the water not contained in the oceans. Even at this low percentage, there is more water in the soil than is contained in river channels. Tere are two components of the groundwater: (i) water that is migrating down to the water table, and (ii) water that is retained in the soil. Water in the soil is drawn out by evaporation from the soil surface and by plants.”
Why relevant

States groundwater is 'about 20 per cent of water not in the oceans' and also notes there is more water in soil (part of groundwater/soil moisture) than in river channels.

How to extend

Multiply 20% by the 2.7% non‑ocean pool (from snippet 1) to estimate groundwater as a percent of Earth's total and directly compare that to the lakes fraction (snippet 2) and the implied small river fraction.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 3: The Drainage System of India > Inland Water Resources of India > p. 33
Strength: 3/5
“Surface water resources include the rivers, ponds, lakes and tanks. The mean flow of water in all the river basins of India is approximately 1869 km3. Owing to the tropological and hydrological constraints only 690 km3 (32%) of available surface water is utilized. The Ganga, the Brahmaputra and the Barak rivers account for one third of the total surface water resources. * The Ganga and Brahmaputra basins have about 46% of the total underground water. According to one estimate the total ground water reserve up to a depth of 300 m is about 3700 mham, almost ten times of the annual rainfall.”
Why relevant

Gives an example scale: an estimate of total groundwater reserve up to a depth (for India) being much larger than annual rainfall and mentions basin shares, illustrating that groundwater volumes can be large compared with surface flows.

How to extend

Use this as an example that groundwater reservoirs can substantially exceed annual surface flows, supporting a plausibility check that groundwater may exceed river+lakes in volume globally.

Statement 2
On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in polar ice caps and glaciers greater than the total volume of groundwater?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > Ice > p. 22
Presence: 5/5
“Water in the form of ice constitutes about 80 per cent of the water that is not in the oceans, or about 2 per cent of the Earth's total. Most of this is located in the great glaciers and ice-sheets of Antarctica and Greenland. Water may reside in the glaciers for thousands or even millions of years. Present estimates, based on rates of melting, suggest that water reside in glaciers, on an average for about 10,000 years. If the existing glaciers melted completely, the volume of water in the oceans would increase by about 2 per cent and the sea level would rise about 100 metres.”
Why this source?
  • States that about 80% of the water not in the oceans is in the form of ice (glaciers and ice-sheets)
  • Directly identifies glaciers and ice-sheets (Antarctica, Greenland) as the location of most of this ice, implying ice is the dominant terrestrial freshwater reservoir
Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > hydrosphere > p. 9
Presence: 4/5
“About 71 per cent of Earth's surface is occupied by water. Some 97.3 per cent of its volume is currently in the ocean, the maximum extent of which is in the southern hemisphere. Of the 2.7 percent terrestrial water, most is polar snow and ice. Groundwater (the majority below soil level) is in lakes and rivers.”
Why this source?
  • Reports that of the ~2.7% terrestrial water, most is polar snow and ice
  • By asserting 'most' of terrestrial water is ice, it implies ice exceeds other terrestrial stores such as groundwater
FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 12: Water (Oceans) > HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE > p. 101
Presence: 3/5
“atmosphere, landsurface and subsurface and the organisms. About 71 per cent of the planetary water is found in the oceans. The remaining is held as freshwater in glaciers and icecaps, groundwater sources, lakes, soil moisture, atmosphere, streams and within life. Nearly 59 per cent of the water that falls on land returns to the atmosphere through evaporation from over the oceans as well as from other places. The remainder runs-off on the surface, infiltrates into the ground or a part of it becomes glacier. It is to be noted that the renewable water on the earth is constant while the demand is increasing tremendously.”
Why this source?
  • Breaks down remaining (non-ocean) water into glaciers/icecaps and groundwater among other stores
  • Places glaciers and groundwater in the same classification of terrestrial freshwater, supporting comparative judgement
Pattern takeaway: The exam tests your ability to overcome 'Visibility Bias'. We see rivers daily, so we think they are huge; we don't see groundwater, so we underestimate it. The pattern is to trust the NCERT data tables over intuition.
How you should have studied
  1. [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Direct lift from NCERT Class XI, Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Chapter 13 (Water), Table 13.1 'Inventory of Water on the Earth's Surface'.
  2. [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: The Hydrosphere & Global Water Budget. Specifically, the distinction between 'Total Water' and 'Freshwater' distribution.
  3. [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize the Hierarchy of Volume: Oceans (97.25%) > Ice Caps/Glaciers (2.05%) > Groundwater (0.68%) > Lakes (0.01%) > Soil Moisture (0.005%) > Atmosphere (0.001%) > Rivers (0.0001%) > Biosphere. Note that Groundwater is ~30% of *freshwater*, while Rivers are negligible.
  4. [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: UPSC loves 'Comparative Magnitude' questions in Geography. When you see a table in NCERT, do not just read it. Convert it into a 'Greater Than / Less Than' inequality chain (A > B > C) in your notes. Visualizing the invisible (Groundwater) vs the visible (Rivers) is a key testing pattern.
Concept hooks from this question
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Global water reservoirs hierarchy
💡 The insight

Oceans dominate Earth's water, while terrestrial water is split among glaciers/ice, groundwater, lakes and rivers with very different magnitudes.

High-yield for questions on water availability and resource prioritisation; links hydrology, climate (glaciers/ice) and water security. Mastering relative reservoir sizes allows quick elimination of implausible options in comparisons and policy questions.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > hydrosphere > p. 9
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > Lakes > p. 23
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > groundwater > p. 22
🔗 Anchor: "On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in rivers and lakes greater than t..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Groundwater vs surface freshwater volumes
💡 The insight

Groundwater constitutes a substantial fraction of non-ocean water and soil/ground storage exceeds the storage held in river channels; lakes occupy only a tiny fraction of total water.

Essential for questions on water resources, groundwater management and irrigation dependency; helps assess sustainability and impacts of extraction. Enables direct comparison tasks (e.g., which reservoir is larger) and informs answers on groundwater depletion issues.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > groundwater > p. 22
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > Lakes > p. 23
🔗 Anchor: "On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in rivers and lakes greater than t..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 National groundwater accounting and replenishable resources
💡 The insight

Country-level figures distinguish total/usable groundwater and show how replenishable groundwater is quantified for management.

Useful for answering UPSC questions on water policy, state-level resource planning and demand–supply assessments; connects hydrology data interpretation with governance and planning questions about utilisation and sustainability.

📚 Reading List :
  • Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 3: The Drainage System of India > Inland Water Resources of India > p. 33
  • INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Water Resources > Groundwater Resources > p. 42
🔗 Anchor: "On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in rivers and lakes greater than t..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Global water partition: oceans versus terrestrial reservoirs
💡 The insight

Earth's water is overwhelmingly in the oceans, leaving a small fraction on land that must be allocated among glaciers, groundwater and other stores.

High-yield for questions on water resources and hydrology: understanding the overwhelming ocean share frames why terrestrial freshwater comparisons (ice vs groundwater) matter. Connects to climate change impacts, sea-level rise and resource planning; helps answer questions contrasting global and terrestrial water budgets.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > hydrosphere > p. 9
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > hyDrOLOgICAL SySTEM OF ThE EArTh. > p. 21
🔗 Anchor: "On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in polar ice caps and glaciers gre..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Freshwater storage predominance in glaciers and ice caps
💡 The insight

A very large share of non-ocean freshwater is stored as ice in glaciers and ice sheets, making ice the primary freshwater reservoir on land.

Essential for UPSC topics on water resources, cryosphere and sea-level rise: explains why melting glaciers have disproportionate global impacts and why glacier volume comparisons with groundwater are exam-relevant. Useful for questions on freshwater availability, climate change and regional water security.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > Ice > p. 22
  • FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 12: Water (Oceans) > HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE > p. 101
🔗 Anchor: "On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in polar ice caps and glaciers gre..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S2
👉 Groundwater as a major but smaller terrestrial freshwater component
💡 The insight

Groundwater is a principal component of terrestrial freshwater but is presented as one of several smaller stores compared with polar ice and glaciers.

Important for questions on water management, agriculture and sustainable extraction: mastering groundwater's role versus glacier storage helps in policy and resource-distribution analyses in mains and essays. Links hydrology to human uses and vulnerability under climate scenarios.

📚 Reading List :
  • Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY > hydrosphere > p. 9
  • FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 12: Water (Oceans) > HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE > p. 101
🔗 Anchor: "On planet Earth, is the total volume of water in polar ice caps and glaciers gre..."
🌑 The Hidden Trap

The 'Residence Time' of water. Next time, they might ask to arrange reservoirs by how long water stays there: Glaciers (10-100 years) > Soil Moisture (2 weeks-1 year) > Atmosphere (9 days) > Rivers (2 weeks).

⚡ Elimination Cheat Code

Use the 'Stock vs. Flow' logic. Rivers are conduits (flows); they move water but don't hold it for long. Groundwater and Glaciers are reservoirs (stocks); they store water. In nature, Stocks are almost always volumetrically larger than Flows. Thus, Groundwater > Rivers.

🔗 Mains Connection

Connect to GS-3 (Water Crisis): The fact that Rivers constitute only 0.0001% of Earth's water explains why river pollution causes immediate acute scarcity, whereas Groundwater (0.68%) depletion is a slow-onset, invisible disaster (The 'Silent Crisis').

✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2010 · Q102 Relevance score: 4.35

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?

IAS · 2025 · Q40 Relevance score: 3.68

With reference to the planet Earth, consider the following statements: 1. Rain forests produce more oxygen than that produced by oceans. 2. Marine phytoplankton and photosynthetic bacteria produce about 50% of world's oxygen. 3. Well-oxygenated surface water contains several folds higher oxygen than that in atmospheric air. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

IAS · 2005 · Q120 Relevance score: 1.46

Consider the following statements: (1) Total land area of earth is approximately 1475 lakh square kilometers. (2) Ratio of land area to water area of earth is approximately 1.4 (3) Maximum percentage of earth’s water is in the Pacific Ocean. Which of the statements given above is are correct?

IAS · 2023 · Q64 Relevance score: 0.95

Consider the following statements : Statement-I : The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter. Statement-II : The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

IAS · 2025 · Q33 Relevance score: 0.92

Consider the following statements : Statement I : Scientific studies suggest that a shift is taking place in the Earth's rotation and axis. Statement II : Solar flares and associated coronal mass ejections bombarded the Earth's outermost atmosphere with tremendous amount of energy. Statement III : As the Earth's polar ice melts, the water tends to move towards the equator. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?