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?

The correct answer is 2 only.

Detailed Explanation:
To determine which of the statements is correct, let us analyze the global distribution of Earth's total water supply:

1. Oceans: Account for about 97.5% of all water on Earth (saline water).
2. Freshwater: Accounts for only about 2.5% of total water.

Now, let us break down the distribution of this 2.5% of freshwater:

• Glaciers and Polar Ice Caps: Hold approximately 68.7% of all freshwater.
• Groundwater: Holds approximately 30.1% of all freshwater.
• Surface Water and Other Freshwater (Rivers, Lakes, Atmosphere, Soil Moisture): Holds only about 1.2% of all freshwater.
• Out of surface water, Lakes account for ~20.9% and Rivers account for ~0.49% of surface freshwater.

Statement Analysis:

• Statement 1: "The amount of water in the rivers and lakes is more than the amount of groundwater."
This statement is incorrect. Groundwater (~30.1% of freshwater) is far greater in volume than the total water found in rivers and lakes combined (which forms only a tiny fraction of the 1.2% surface freshwater).

• Statement 2: "The amount of water in polar ice caps and glaciers is more than the amount of groundwater."
This statement is correct. Glaciers and polar ice caps hold approximately 68.7% of Earth's freshwater, whereas groundwater accounts for about 30.1%.

Therefore, only statement 2 is correct.