Resource and Development - Class X (Geo-1)

Resource & Development (Geo-1)

Definition:- Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs, provided it is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable can be termed as resource.

Are all the minerals from nature? No – Eg: Education

Classifications

(i) On the basis of Origin – Biotic & Abiotic

          Biotic:- Resource obtained from biosphere having life. Eg:- Human beings, flora and fauna, livestock, fisheries etc.

          Abiotic:- Things which are composed of non-living things. Eg:- Rocks, land, water and metals.

(ii) On the basis of Exhaustibility – Renewable & Non-Renewable

          Renewable:- Some resource can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical processes. Eg:- Solar, Wind, Tidal, water, forests, wildlife etc.

          Non-Renewable:- These occur over a very long geological time. They take millions of years in their formation. Eg:- Minerals and fossil fuels. (Coal and wood)

(iii) On the basis of Ownership – Individual, Community, National & International

          Individual:- These resources are owned by private individuals. Eg:- Plantation, plots, pasture lands, ponds, water in wells, houses etc.

          Community:- These are resources which are accessible to all the members of the community(neighbours). Eg:-Village common grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, parks, play grounds etc. 

          National:- All resources which belong to the nation. The country has legal power to acquire even private property for public good. Eg:- All the minerals, water resource, wildlife, forest, wildlife, land within the political boundaries of oceanic area upto 12 Nautical Mile (19.2 Km) from the sea coast etc. (within the political boundary)2

          International:- These are international organizations which regulate some resources. Oceanic resources beyond 200 Nautical Miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean and no individual countries can use it without the concurrence of international institutions.

(iv) On the basis of Development – Potential, Developed, Stock & Reserve

          Potential:- These are resources found in a region but have not been utilized. Eg:- Rajasthan & Gujarat have enormous potential for development of solar and wind energy but till now it have not been utilized or developed yet.

          Developed:- These are resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined and are ready for utilization. Eg:- Coal reserves around 25000 crore tones in India.

          Stock:- Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human need but human beings do not have the appropriate technology to access these. Eg:- Water is a compound of two inflammable gases-Hydrogen & Oxygen which can be used as a rich source of energy but we do not have the required technical ‘know-how’ to use them this. Hence it is considered as stock.

          Reserve:-  These are the subset of the stock which can be put into use with the help of existing technical ‘know- how’ but their use has not been started. Eg: Rivers can be used for generating hydroelectricity but presently it is being utilized only to a limited extent. Thus water in the dams, forest are the reserves which can be used in future.

Development of Resources

          Resources are vital for human survival. It was believed that resources are free gifts of nature. As a result, man used them indiscriminately which led to the following problems: This led to global ecological crisis such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.

·         Depletion of resources.

·         Accumulation of resources in a few hands.

·         Indiscriminate exploitation of resources.

So for a sustained quality of life and global peace, it is essential that resources should be distributed equally.

Sustainable economic development means development should take place without damaging the environment and development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generation.

Rio de Jeneiro Earth Summit, 1992:- In June, 1992, for achieving sustainable development in the 21^st century, more than 100 states participated in the First International Earth Summit in Rio de Jeneiro in Brazil. The main focus of this summit was to protect the environment and socio economic development at the global level. The leaders of the states signed the Declaration on Global Climate Change and Biological Diversity.

`Agenda 21:- It has been signed by world leaders at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The aim of this agenda is to achieve global sustainable development by combating environmental damage, poverty and disease through global co-operation on common interests, mutual needs and shared responsibilities. The major objective of this agenda is that every local government has the power to draw its own local Agenda 21.

Resource Planning in India

This is a technique or skill or proper utilization of resources. Resource planning consists of three stages –

a)    Identification and inventory of resources - involves surveying, mapping and measurement of characteristics and properties of resources.

b)    Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate – technology, skill and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans.

c)    Matching -  the resource development plans with overall national development plans.

? Technology -  British exploited India from the forests

Need for Resource Planning

·         Lack of resources may lead to low economic development.

·         Future generations need resources for maintenance of good quality life.

M. K Gandhi states that “there is enough for everybody’s need, but not for anybody’s greed.”

Land Resources

India has a variety of relief features like mountains, plateaus and plains. India has 43% plain land, 30% mountain region and 27% plateau region. Total geographical area of India is 3.28million sq.m.  Land use data however is available only for 93% of the total geographical area because the land use reporting for most of the north east states except Assam has not been done fully. Moreover, some areas of J & K occupied by Pakistan and China have also not been surveyed.

Land resources are used for the following purposes:

Ø  Forests

Ø  Land not available for cultivation (a) Barren land and waste land (b) Land put on non-agricultural uses eg: building, roads, factories etc.

Ø  Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land) (a) Permanent pastures and grazing land (b) Land under miscellaneous trees, crops, groves (not included in the net sown area) (c) Cultural waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years)

Ø  Fallow land (a) Current fallow (left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year) (b) Other than current fallow (left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years)

Ø  Net sown area – refers to the area sown with crops more than once in an agricultural year. PJ & HY regions have more % of NSA. GCA is the total area sown once as well as more than once in a particular year.

At present there are about 130 million hectares (100 ares or 10000 sq.m) of degraded land in India of which 28% belong to the forest, 56% is water eroded and the rest is affected by saline and alkaline deposits.

Factors causing Land Degradation

Ø  Deforestation Overgrazing   Mining and quarrying          Over irrigation making land saline and alkaline         Dust generated from cement ceramic industry, Industrial effluents etc.

Ø  In States like Jharkhand, Chattishgarh, M.P and Orissa deforestation due to mining have caused severe land degration.

Ø  GJ, RJ, MP, MH overgrazinb is one of the main reasons for land degradation.

Ø  PJ, HR and western UP over irrigation is responsible for land degradation due to water logging leading to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil.

Suggestions for Conservation of land

ü  Afforestation 

ü  Proper management of grazing     

ü  Stabilization of sand dunes by planting thorny bushes    

ü  Proper management of wasteland  

ü  Control on mining   

ü  Discharge of industrial effluents and waste after treatment etc.

Soil as a resource:- Soil is the most important renewable natural resource. The uppermost layer of the earth’s crust which is loose, fragmented and useful for plants is called soil.

Soil formation:- The factors that contribute to the formation and fertility of soil are parent rocks, climate, plant, animal and local topography. The soils are made out of rocks.

Soil Types:- The soils of India are classified into the following types – (1) Alluvial, (2) Black, (3) Red and Yellow, (4) Laterite, (5) Arid, (6) Forest and Mountain soil etc.

1.    Alluvial soil:- This is the most wide spread and important soil. The entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil. These have been deposited by three important Himalayan river systems. These also found in eastern coastal plains particularly the deltas of Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri rivers. The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay. It is of two types – Khadar and Bhangar. It has adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and the lime which are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops.

2.    Black soil:- These soils are black in colour and are also known as regur soils. Black soils are ideal for the growth of cotton. It is derived from Deccan traps. It occurs in areas like MH, Western MP and GJ.  It is made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. They are well-known for their capacity to hold moisture. They are rich in soil nutrients such as Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium, potash and lime. They develop deep cracks during hot weather which helps in the proper aeration of the soil.

3.    Red and Yellow soil:- These soils develop on crystalline igneous rocks in area of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau. It also found in parts of Orissa, Chattisgarh. These soils develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks. It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.

4.    Laterite soil:- Laterite has been derived from the Latin word ‘later’ which means brick. The laterite soil develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall. This is a result of intense leaching due to heavy rain. It is found in the hills of Deccan, KA, KL, OR, and parts of Assam and Meghalaya.

5.    Arid soil:- Arid soils range from red to brown in colour. They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature. It is found in arid areas of RJ,PJ and HR. After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable.

6.    Forest soil:- These soils are found in hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient rain forests exists. They are found in the snow covered areas of Himalayas. 

Soil Erosion:- The removal of soil from one place to another by some natural agents is called soil erosion.

Types:- Gully, Sheet and Wind erosion.

Deforestation

Over-grazing

Construction and mining etc. due to human intervention.

Steps to prevent Soil Erosion

Contour ploughing, Terrace farming, Strip cropping, Shelter belts etc. are the steps to prevent soil erosion.