Last Updated on November 6, 2026 by sanjjeett
What this composition helps you practise
This topical descriptive composition shows how to organise a broad subject into clear areas. The model moves from the historical importance of rivers and lakes to drinking water, agriculture, fishing, industry, transport, recreation and tourism, before ending with the problem of pollution and the need for protection.
Composition Prompt
Rivers and lakes are always interesting and commercially important to people who live near them. Describe some of the ways in which people living close to a lake or a river use it to their advantage commercially and also for their relaxation and amusement all through the year.
Composition at a Glance
Essay Outline
Model Essay
Since times immemorial, rivers and lakes play an important role in our life. They are responsible for sustaining life on the universe. Great civilisations like the Indus valley civilisation, the Egyptian civilisation existed thousands of years ago, on the banks of the rivers Indus and Nile respectively. Many old cities like Agra, Prayagraj, Hyderabad, and Varanasi came up on the banks of rivers and lakes because of their important role in sustaining life. People worship them and consider them sacred and holy.
The passage of time has not diminished their importance. Taking a stroll on their banks one finds huge water treatment plants, which provide safe drinking water to the people living in the cities close to them. Irrigation canals that stem from them, carry water for irrigating huge tracts of land for food crops and vegetables. This provides livelihood to the farmers and food to the people.
Early in the morning fishermen can be seen pushing their small fishing boats, laden with fishing nets into the river. Singing merrily they row their boats in anticipation of making a good catch during the day. Their women folks wave out to them wishing them well, as they go about their daily chores, before setting out to the fish market to hawk the fishes caught the previous night.
Huge chimneys of big factories line the shores, signify their important role in the economic development of the region. This is for they provide water which is an essential requirement for the industries. Cargo boats can be seen ferrying goods from one place to another which is a safe and economic mode of transport.
The beautiful scene during sunrise and sunset are indeed breathtaking. People flock there early in the morning and around sunset to savour the beauty. Children can be seen playing in the shallow waters, while young men and women revel in fishing, boating, and enjoying water sports like water surfing and motor boating. Their banks are a tourist delight, with people from far and near flocking to savour the beauty.
However, it is unfortunate to see some people polluting the water of the rivers and ponds with sewage, hazardous chemicals, and other biodegradable waste. These pollutants render the life giving water poisonous, which pose serious danger to our health. The contaminated water also endangers aquatic life, which is the source of livelihood for many people.
Rivers and lakes are the lifeline for the people staying close to them. Besides providing essential requirements like food and water, they also help in the economic growth and development of the region. Besides this they also provide entertainment, amusement, and relaxation to the people, throughout the year. It is therefore our moral duty to ensure, that this blessing is not turned into a curse by our callousness.
Understanding This Composition
The essay begins with the larger importance of water bodies
The model first places rivers and lakes in a broad historical and social context. This gives the later examples a central idea: communities have long depended on water bodies for survival and development.
Basic needs come before commercial uses
Drinking water, irrigation and food production are discussed before fishing, industry and transport. This creates a sensible progression from essential human needs to wider economic activity.
Livelihood is shown through people at work
Instead of only stating that fishing provides employment, the model shows fishermen pushing boats into the river, carrying nets and heading out for the day. Such small visual details make a topical essay more descriptive.
Recreation balances the commercial discussion
The sunrise and sunset scenes, boating, fishing and water sports answer the second half of the prompt by showing how rivers and lakes also provide relaxation, amusement and tourism opportunities.
The pollution paragraph gives the essay a purpose
After describing benefits, the model introduces pollution as a threat to water quality, aquatic life and livelihoods. The conclusion then turns description into responsibility by arguing that these valuable resources must be protected.
Useful Vocabulary and Expressions
Try It Yourself
Practice Prompt
Describe the importance of a river, lake or other major water body to communities living near it. Explain how it supports livelihoods and economic activity, how people use it for recreation, and why protecting it from pollution is important.
Write approximately 300–350 words.
Before You Submit
ICSE Composition Guidelines
For ICSE Examination Year 2027, the composition should be approximately 300–350 words. Question 1 carries 20 marks, and the specimen paper recommends spending no more than 30 minutes on it.
For a topical descriptive composition, organise the response around one clear central idea and develop each point with explanation or an illustrative detail. Avoid turning the response into a list; use transitions so that commercial uses, recreation and environmental concerns form one connected composition.
Official ICSE 2027 English Syllabus
Official ICSE 2027 English Language Specimen and Draft Marking Scheme