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: B. Only statement 2 is correct. GLOBAL WATER DISTRIBUTION on Earth (approximate percentages): - OCEANS: ~97.5% (saline) - FRESHWATER: ~2.5% of total, divided as: - POLAR ICE CAPS, ICE SHEETS, GLACIERS: ~68.7% of freshwater - GROUNDWATER: ~30.1% of freshwater - SURFACE WATER (lakes, rivers, wetlands, swamps, soil moisture): ~0.4% of freshwater - ATMOSPHERIC WATER VAPOUR: ~0.04% of freshwater Statement 1 is WRONG. The amount of water in RIVERS AND LAKES is MUCH LESS than groundwater. Rivers and lakes together hold a tiny fraction of global freshwater (~0.3% of freshwater), whereas groundwater holds ~30%. Groundwater is many orders of magnitude larger in volume than surface water (rivers + lakes). Statement 2 is CORRECT. The amount of water in POLAR ICE CAPS AND GLACIERS (~68.7% of freshwater) is MORE THAN GROUNDWATER (~30.1% of freshwater). Glaciers and ice sheets are the LARGEST RESERVOIR OF FRESHWATER on Earth. Antarctica alone holds ~70% of Earth's freshwater locked in its ice sheet; Greenland holds another large share. Of total Earth water, polar ice + glaciers hold ~1.74%, while groundwater holds ~1.69% — slightly more in ice than groundwater. Source: NCERT Class 11 Fundamentals of Physical Geography 'Water (Oceans)' chapter / USGS Water Cycle / FAO AQUASTAT.