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?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Only statement 2 is correct: ice caps and glaciers hold about 2 per cent of Earth's water, well above the 0.68 per cent held as groundwater, while rivers and lakes together hold only about 0.009 per cent.
- ✗ 1. NCERT's table gives fresh water lakes 0.009 per cent and rivers 0.0001 per cent of all water, far less than groundwater at 0.68 per cent.
- ✓ 2. The same table gives ice caps 2.0 per cent (glaciers are counted with them), which is roughly three times the groundwater share of 0.68 per cent.
Remember · Earth's water: oceans 97.3%, ice caps and glaciers 2.0%, groundwater 0.68%, lakes 0.009%, atmosphere 0.0019%, rivers 0.0001%.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·