Resources and development 1) Examine the three major problems created as a result of indiscriminate utilization of natural resources. A- The following are the three major problems created as a result of indiscriminate utilization of natural resources. a) Depletion of resources at a faster rate. b) Accumulation of resources in the hands of few creating a wide gap between the haves (rich) and have nots (poor). c) Increase in global crises like ozone layer depletion, global warming, pollution and land degradation 2) “Indiscriminate use of natural resources has led to numerous problems.” Justify the statement. A- Indiscriminate use of natural resources has led to numerous problems. The following points justify the statement. a) Human activities, like cutting and felling of trees, and lopping of trees, have led to destruction of forests. Such losses have increasingly marginalised and impoverished many communities, who depend upon forests for food medicine, etc. b) Some human activities, such as deforestation, overgrazing, mining and quarrying, have contributed to land degradation. c) Water resources have been polluted by domestic and industrial wastes, chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers used in agriculture, thus making it unfit for human and as well as animals’ consumption. 3) How can you contribute to minimize land pollution? Explain. A- We can contribute to minimizing pollution by a) Creating awareness about not burning fallen leaves or garbage in the parks or on the roads. b) Requesting our parents and the people in the neighbourhood not to dump garbage in the ponds, rivers and other water-bodies, especially, while performing rituals. Page 1 of 12
c) Not polluting the water storage tanks at home. (Any other relevant point/points) 4) “Land is a natural resource of utmost importance.” Justify the statement with appropriate arguments. Ans: Land is a natural resource of utmost importance. It supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life and economic activities like agriculture, mining, transport and communication system. 95 per cent of our basic needs for food, shelter and clothing are obtained from land. Therefore, it is very important to use the available land for various purposes with careful planning, otherwise we will be responsible for the adverse consequences. 5) Distinguish between red and laterite soils, stating five points of distinction. Ans: The following are the differences between red soils and laterite soils. 6) “In India, some regions are rich in certain types of resources but deficient in some other resources.” Do you agree with the statement? Support your answer with three examples. (i): India is a vast country. It has fertile plains and high mountains, which are a source of perennial rivers . ((ii) It also has plateaus, which are a rich source of minerals, fossil fuels and forests. However some regions are rich in certain types of resources and deficient in others, like the following. Page 2 of 12
The cold desert of Ladakh has very rich cultural heritage but it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some vital minerals. Arunachal Pradesh has abundant water resources but lacks in infrastructure development, as it is a mountainous state. The state of Rajasthan is well endowed with wind and solar energy but lacks in water resources. 7) “33 per cent area should be under forests.” Justify the statement highlighting the environmental values of forests. A- According to the international norms, the forest cover in a country should be 33 per cent of the total geographical area. However the forest cover in India is estimated at 637,293 sq. km, which is 19.39 per cent of the total geographical area. a) The following points sum up of the environmental values of forests. If a country does not have 33 per cent geographical area under forest it may lead to poor quality of support system— water, air and soil. b) Forests preserve the genetic diversity of plants and animals. c) The forest ecosystem is the storehouse of valuable forest products, minerals and other resources. 8) Mention any two human activities which are responsible for the process of soil erosion. Explain the two types of soil erosion mostly observed in India. A- Two human activities which are responsible for the process of soil erosion are deforestation, overgrazing, construction and mining. (Any two or any other relevant point) The following are the two types of soil erosion mostly observed in India. a) Sheet erosion: It is the result of excessive flowing of water resulting in the removal of the topmost layer of soil. It is the result of accumulation of runoff water which then rapidly flows into narrow channels during or after heavy rainfall or melting of show, considerably removing the soil cover.. b) Wind erosion: Wind blows loose soil (explain) (any other type) 9) Describe any three measures of controlling land degradation. A- Measures to solve the problem of land degradation in India are as follows. Page 3 of 12
i) Afforestation and proper management grazing lands ii) Planting of shelter belts for stabilizing sand dunes iii) Proper management of wastelands iv) Control on mining activities v) Proper discharge of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment vi) Adopting effective ploughing techniques 9) Why is it essential to have resources planning? What are the three stages of resource planning in India? a) If the present trend of resource development by few individuals continues the future of our planet is in danger. b) Planning is essential for sustainable existence of all forms of life. c) Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises. The three stages of resource planning are : i) Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country. ii) Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans. iii) Match the resource development plans with overall national development plans. 10) Give the importance of soil. Explain three factors responsible for soil formation. A- Soil is the most important renewable natural resource. Plants grow in the soil. It also supports different types of living organisms on earth. The three factors responsible for soil formation are as follows. 1. Relief, parent rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors in the formation of soil. 2. Forces of nature like running water, wind, glaciers, temperature and decomposers help in the formation of soil. 3. Chemical and organic (humus) changes are also important factors in the formation of soil. Page 4 of 12
11) Explain the importance of conservation of resources. A- Resources are essential for all kinds of developmental activities. But indiscriminate use of resources and overuse of resources may lead to socio-economic and environmental problems. To overcome these problems, resource conservation at various levels is important. This had been the main concern of the leaders and thinkers in the past. For example, Gandhiji was very apt in voicing his concern about resource conservation in these words, “there is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody’s greed’’. He placed the greedy and selfish individuals and exploitative nature of modern technology as the root cause for resources depletion at the global level. He was against mass production and wanted to replace it with the production by the masses. For the first time, conservation of resources had been advocated by the Club of Rome at the international level in a more systematic way in 1968. Another significant contribution was made at the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. 12) What type of soil found in the river deltas of the eastern coast? Give the main features of this type of soil? A- Alluvial soil is found in the river deltas of the eastern coast. The main features of this type of soil are: i) Alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt, clay .It contains adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime which are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat etc. ii) Due to its high fertility regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely populated. iii) Soil in the drier areas are more alkaline and can be productive after proper treatment and irrigation. iv) This is the most widely spread and important soil in India. 13) Explain land use pattern in India and why the land under forest has not increased much since 1960-61. A- a) The total geographical area of India is 3.28 million sq km. As per the land use data only 93% of the total geographical area is available. Page 5 of 12
b) Of this 43.3% is the net sown area, forest cover is 22.6%, 4.4% is culturable waste,7.03% is current fallow,4% is covered by pasture and 1% is covered by tree crops. c) The pattern of net sown area varies greatly from one state to another. Forest area in the country is far lower than the desired 33% of the geographical area, as it was outlined in the National Forest Policy. d) The percentage of forest cover is needed to be increased for the maintenance of the ecological balance. The land under forest did not increase much since 1960-61 due to several reasons like- i) The improper use of land which has caused degradation of the available land area and made conservation of forests difficult. ii) The ever increasing illegal cutting of trees and forest cover to meet the needs of an increasing population. iii) Large scale development projects, industrialization and urbanization have reduced the forest cover to a great extent. 14) Explain the role of humans in resource development. A- The process of transformation of things into resource involves an inter-dependent relationship between nature, technology and institutions. Human beings interact with nature through technology and create institutions to accelerate the pace of economic development. Human beings are essential components of resources as they transform materials in the environment into resources and use them. 15) Distinguish between national and international resources Page 6 of 12
16) What are the reasons for land degradation? Describe briefly any four measures to conserve land from degradation. A- At present there are about 130 million hectares of degraded land in India. It has mainly been due to the following reasons. a) Human activities like deforestation, mining, quarrying, overgrazing are mainly responsible for land degradation. b) In states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha deforestation due to mining has caused severe degradation. In Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, overgrazing is one of the main reasons for land degradation. c) Industrial effluents have become a major source of land and water degradation in many parts of the country. d) Over-irrigation in the states of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, has led to waterlogging and increased alkalinity and salinity in the soil. The following are the four measures to conserve land from degradation. i) Afforestation and management of grazing can solve the problem to some extent. ii) Planting of shelter belts of trees and growing of thorny bushes can stabilize sand dunes and check land degradation. iii) Control over mining activities can also contribute to it. iv) Proper management of waste lands, controlling mining activities. Proper discharge and disposal and wastes after treatment can reduce land and water degradation in industrial and suburban areas. *** Percentages may vary. Please update according to the revised textbook. *** Read ‘State of India’s Environment’ EXTRA QUESTIONS 1) What is bangar? 2) What is the most widely spread and important soil in India? Page 7 of 12
3) Why has equitable distribution of resources become essential? 4) What is the objective of the Agenda 21? 5) What is the oceanic area up to12 nautical miles from the coast line known as? 6) What do you mean by Exclusive Economic Zone? 7) What is the percentage share of plains in the total land area? 8) Which soil type is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rainfall? 9) Gully erosion is common in which river basin? 10) What is the land left uncultivated for 1 or less than 1 agriculture year known as? 11) Which relief features of India has 30% of the total surface area of the country? 12) Name the cold desert which is relatively isolated from the rest of the country and has very rich cultural heritage but is deficient in water, infrastructure and minerals. 13) Land not available for cultivation is called ______________. 14) Which type of soil has a good capacity to hold moisture? 15) What do you mean by bad land or ravines? 16) What do you mean by gross cropped area? 17) Balanced resource planning at the national, state, regional and local level is essential. Justify the statement. 18) What is Resource? 19) Classification of Resources 20) What are the problems in resource development? Page 8 of 12
21) Why is resource planning a complex process? 22) Why did Gandhiji remark, “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody’s greed.” ? 23) Resource depletion and colonization 24) How is over irrigation responsible for land degradation in Punjab? 25) How is cement industry responsible for land degradation? 26) How are mining activities responsible for land degradation in Jharkhand? 27) How is overgrazing responsible for land degradation in Gujarat? 28) Mention three physical factors as well as three human factors which determine the use of land in India. 29) Soil is formed by the process of _____________________. 30) Land left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year is called ___________. 31) “There is enough for everybody’s need but not for anybody’s agreed”. Who said this? 32) ________________ and _______________ are the methods of soil conservation in the hilly areas. 33) ___________________ is a method of growing rows of trees in arid regions. 34) Land use pattern of India is lopsided. (True/False) 35) Red soils are found in Thar Desert. (True/False) Page 9 of 12
36) Fossil fuels are examples of non-recyclable. (True/False) 37) What is soil erosion? 38) Leaching is ________________. 39) Fallow land refers to ______________________. 40) Supply a technical term for the dead and decomposed material found on the top soil. 41) The state having maximum net sown area in India is _______________. 42) Ploughing along the contour lines can ______________________. 43) Name two nutrients in which alluvial soil is deficient. Briefly write how the fertility soil affects distribution of population? 44) What is sustainable development? How is related to resource planning? 45) In 1974, Gandhian philosophy was once again presented by Schumacher in his book ____________________. 46) The seminal contribution with respect to resource conservation at the global level was made by the ___________________________ Report, 1987. 47) the above report introduced the concept of ______________________ and advocated it as a means for resource conservation, which was subsequently published in a book entitled ________________________. Page 10 of 12
MAJOR SOILS (IDENTIFICATION ONLY) TYPES OF SOIL (A QUICK GLANCE) Alluvial Soils Found in the entire northern plains Deposited by Himalayan river system Consists of sand, silt, clay Towards inland- soil particles bigger in size In the upper part- coarse Bangar- old alluvial soil Khadar- new alluvial soil Bangar soil- high amount of kanker nodules than khaddar Khaddar has more fine particles. It is more fertile Alluvial soil- fertile Has potash, lime Crops grown- sugarcane, paddy Densely populated region Page 11 of 12
Black soil Black in colour Also called regur soil Best for growing cotton Important factors- climatic condition, parent rock Found in Maharashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh Clayey Rich in nutrients Poor in phosphoric contents Sticky Red and Yellow Soils Develops on crystalline igneous rocks Found in low rainfall areas, Orissa, Chhattisgarh Develops reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks Yellow in colour- in a hydrated form Laterite soil Comes from the word- later means- brick Develops in high temperature and heavy rainfall Intense leaching Humus content low Can be cultivated with good dose of manure and fertilizer Found in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu Arid Soils Red to brown in colour Sandy in texture Saline in nature Salt content is high lacks humus and moisture Found in western Rajasthan Forest Soils Found in the hilly and mountainous areas Loamy and silty in valley sides Coarse grained in the upper slopes Low humus content Acidic in nature Page 12 of 12
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