In an online seminar attended by Trisha, a lecturer told that rainwater conducts electricity, however, to her knowledge rainwater is said to be the purest form of water as it falls on the earth when clouds condense. In addition to her astonishment, the lecturer further told that the rainwater from Delhi is found to be more acidic than the rainwater in Meghalaya. Her doubt soon got cleared when the lecturer pointed out that rain is the purest form of water, but it has to pass through the atmosphere to reach the surface of the earth.

Could you analyse what cleared Trisha's doubt about the electrical conductivity of rainwater and its more acidic nature in Delhi region?

Water can be found in three forms in nature: in liquid form in rivers and ocean water, in solid form it can be found as glaciers or snow, and in gaseous form, it flows freely in our atmosphere as water vapour. These three are the common phases that occur in the water cycle as well.

We have heard about the fourth phase which is plasma. Plasma phase can be defined as the soup of ions that is electrically conductive. Neon signs and lightning are some examples of partially ionised plasma states. Plasma can be artificially generated by heating a neutral gas.

What do you understand about the plasma state of water? Will any water molecule be found in that state? How can this state be achieved?

Ravi planned a visit to his uncle's home and while he travelled to his home, it rained heavily, but he arrived safely there. He was surprised to find that despite such a fierce rain outside, the rainwater was not dripping much from the roof of his uncle's home. However, during rainy season a significant volume of water drips from the roof of at their own home. He looked for a cause and discovered that the uncle house's roof edge is embedded in numerous pipes that allow rainwater to accumulate and flow. After following the pipe, he discovered that it came to a stop in a chamber. 

What method is being used in this scenario? What is its importance? 

Shankar went to a science museum with his mother and saw several amazing scientific models. Shankar saw a model of earth there and noticed that the colour of our planet is mostly blue. Why is our earth blue, he questioned his mum. To this, she responded that water makes up the majority of our planet and that's why our planet is also called 'The blue planet'.
Shankar had some more doubts. Can you assist him in getting the answer for those? The questions are as follows:

a) Why is there a shortage of water even though whole earth is covered with water?

b) What are the causes of water scarcity in India?

Arun and his parents went for a two weeks trip during his summer vacations. One day, during the trip, Arun asked his mother about what would happen to the plants at their home. In response, his mother replied that it is most likely that most of the plants would perish if no one provided water for two weeks. For this reason, they have asked their neighbour to water the plants regularly. After finishing their trip after two weeks they all returned home. Arun saw that all the plants on their terrace were green and lively but one of the plant that was inside their house has gone dry and all its leaves have wilted.
From the above scenario it is clear that water is needed for the survival of plants. 

What will be the effect of water scarcity on plants and their environment?

Yogish and his friends are playing on the ground having a nice carpet of grass spread all over it. After a while, it started raining and the rain stopped after fifteen minutes. All of them noticed that the water on the ground was very less as compared to the amount that was poured during the rain.

Can you help Yogish by answering his following questions:
a) What happened to the rainwater? What do we call the method through which the water in this scenario disappears?

b) If the ground is made of cement instead of grass carpet, then what would be observed?

Reema is a student. Her mother informed her that her father was building a new home. This news makes Reema very delighted. She ran over to her father, hugged him, and talked to him about his interior designs and exterior views. Then suddenly a thought came to Reema's mind and Reema insisted that her father should install a rainwater harvesting system. Her father objected and said it will prove to be too expensive.

a) Who do you think is right, Reema or her father? Give a reason for your answer.

b) What are the values exhibited by Reema?

Rohith studied that water is a precious natural resource. Water is the most important substance for the survival of all living organisms. The organisms can survive longer without food, than without water. All organisms are composed of water, and it is important for various life activities such as excretion, digestion, etc. It is essential not only for sustaining life but also for agriculture, industry, energy production, and transportation.

Rohith decided that from now on he would drink plentiful of water as it is important for one's health. But when his mother spotted him drinking too much of water forcefully, she advised him not to drink too much water. Rohith was confused by this gesture of her mother. He had some questions; could you help him find the answers?

a) How many glasses of water should we drink daily?

b) If a person drinks a large amount of water in a short time, what will happen?

A teacher named Rina was staying close to the forest. She once saw local thugs cutting down trees in a nearby forest while she was walking back from school. She was aware of the negative effects that cutting down trees would have on both nature and people.  Therefore, she reported this illegal activity to the police and forest department.

From the above understanding, answer the below question.

How does deforestation influence freshwater reserves?