Question

What is a well and how does it differ from a tube – well?

Answer 1

Hint: Both well and tube well are a source of using or bringing the underground water to the surface so that it can be used. Both wells and tube – wells can be constructed as per the suitability of the geographical area (not possible to construct them just anywhere).

Complete Answer:
Well – wells are holes that are dug in the grounds to obtain the subsoil water and an ordinary well is of about 3 – 5 meters deep (can be deeper) they can be classified as shallow or deep wells respectively. We usually use buckets and ropes to draw water from a well, sometimes motor pumps are also used.
- Wels are indigenous form of irrigation and popular in areas having sufficient underground water level, but a great part of the Indian peninsula is not suitable for well irrigation due to its rocky structures and lack of underground water (accessible by wells).
- Wells are a simple and cheapest source to extract waters but on the other hand when there is a situation of drought the underground water level drops and the wells are dry and empty.

Tube well – A tube well is a deeper well in which we use tubes or pipes that are bored into the ground; the depth depends on the depth of the water table. The end of the pipe is fitted with a strainer and a pump is used to pull the water to the surface.
- Construction of tube wells everywhere is not a possible task and is dependent on geographical factors like – availability of water, availability of electricity etc. tube wells are very useful to use at homes or irrigation but it draws a lot of groundwater from neighbouring areas and makes the ground dry and unfit for agriculture. It is also expensive to fit a tube well.

Note: The first tube well of India was dug in Uttar Pradesh in the year 1930 and today there are more than 50 lakh tube wells in India. Tube wells were very useful for the success of the green revolution. The average lifespan of a well is 30 – 50 years; it can be more or less as per the circumstance of the area it is in.