EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -A watershed acts as a receiver, collector, and conveyer of precipitation on a landscape. Land uses affect these pathways by altering surface runoff and groundwater infiltration, thereby changing the quantity and quality of water resources.

Detailed explanation-2: -For proper planning and execution, the size of a watershed area should ideally be 1, 000 to 2, 500 hectares. If the area is within this range, it will be possible to prepare a well balanced plan and to implement it in a period of 2 to 3 years.

Detailed explanation-3: -A watershed is an area of land that drains or “sheds” water into a specific waterbody. Every body of water has a watershed. Watersheds drain rainfall and snowmelt into streams and rivers. These smaller bodies of water flow into larger ones, including lakes, bays, and oceans.

Detailed explanation-4: -Basin area, basin length, basin slope, and basin shape are the physical characteristics of watersheds, significantly affecting the characteristics of runoff and other hydrologic processes.