Geography chapter 1

Resources and development

Resource
• 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’.
Classification of Resources
• The resources can be classified as:
→ On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic
→ On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable and non-renewable
→ On the basis of ownership – individual, community, national and
international
→ On the basis of status of development – potential, developed stock and
reserves.
Development of Resources
• Resources are vital for human survival.
• It was believed that resources are free gifts of nature so, human beings
used them indiscriminately and this has led to the following major problems:
→ Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
→ Accumulation of resources in few hands which divides the society into rich
and poor.
→ Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises
such as, global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and
land degradation.
• For a sustained quality of life and global peace, an equitable distribution of
resources has
become essential
• For using resources judiciously, we need to adopt sustainable economic
development.
• 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 generations.
Resource Planning
• Resource planning is a complex process which involves :
(i) Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the
country. This involves surveying, mapping and qualitative and quantitative
estimation and measurement of the resources.
(ii) Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill
and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans.
(iii) Matching the resource development plans with overall national
development plans.
Land Resources
• Land is a natural resource of utmost importance.
→ It supports natural vegetation, wild life, human life, economic activities,
transport and communication systems.
• Land is present in limited size so we must use them effectively.
Land Resources in India
• About 43 percent of the land area is plain, which provides facilities for
agriculture and industry.
• About 30 percent of the total surface area of the country are mountains
which ensure perennial flow of some rivers and provide facilities for tourism
and ecological aspects.

• About 27 per cent of the area of the country is the plateau region that
possesses rich reserves
of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.
Land Use Pattern in India
• The use of land is determined by:
→ Physical factors such as topography, climate, soil types
→ Human factors such as population density, technological capability and
culture and traditions etc.
• Land use data, however, is available only for 93 per cent of the total
geographical area because the land use reporting for most of the north-east
states except Assam has not been done fully.
→ Also, some areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan and China
have also not been surveyed.

Land Degradation and Conservation measures

• Human activities such as deforestation, over grazing, mining and

quarrying contributed in land degradation.
• Measures to control land degradation:
→ Afforestation
→ Planting of shelter belts of plants
→ control on over grazing
→ stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
→ Proper management of waste lands
→ control of mining activities
Soil as a Resource
• Soil is the most important renewable natural resource.
• It is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of living
organisms on the earth.
Classification of Soils
On the basis of the factors responsible for soil formation, colour, thickness,
texture, age, chemical and physical properties, the soils of India can be
classified in different types:
• Alluvial Soils:
→ Entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil.
→ Also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas of the
Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.
→ Fertile soil therefore, fit for agriculture purpose.
→ Regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely populated.
→ Rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime which are ideal for the growth of
sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops.

• Black Soil:
→ Black in colour and are also known as regur soils.
→ Ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.
→ Found in the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya
Pradesh and Chhattisgarh also along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.
→ Made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material.
→ Well-known for their capacity to hold moisture.
→ Rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.

• Red and Yellow Soils:

→ Found in the areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the
Deccan plateau.
→ Also found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the middle
Ganga plain and along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.
→ Develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and
metamorphic rocks.

• Laterite Soils:
→ Develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall.
→ Found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and the hilly
areas of Odisha and Assam.
→ Suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of manures and fertilizers.
→ Low Humus content because decomposers, like bacteria, get destroyed
due to high temperature.

• Arid Soils:
→ Found in the western parts of Rajasthan.
→ After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable.
→ Lacks humus and moisture because dry climate, high temperature make
evaporation faster.
→ Salt content is very high and common salt is obtained by evaporating the
water.

• Forest Soils:
→ Found in the hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient rain forests are
available.
→ Feature differs based on location.
→ Loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes.
→ Silt in the lower parts of the valleys particularly on the river terraces and
alluvial fans are fertile.

Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

• Natural ways of Soil erosion: Wind, glacier and water lead to soil erosion.

• Human activities: Deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining

etc., contributes in soil erosion.

• Measures to control Soil erosion:

→ Strip cropping
→ Planting shelter belts
→ In the hilly areas, using contour ploughing and terrace farming.

TEXT BOOK QUESTION ANSWERS

(Answer the following questions about 30 words)

(i) Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are states having black
soil.
Cotton is mainly grown in black soil.

(ii) Alluvial Soil is found in the river deltas of the eastern coast.
Three features of alluvial soil:
→ Alluvial soils are very fertile.
→ They are ideal for growing sugarcane, wheat and paddy.
→ The regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely
populated.

(iii) In hilly areas, soil erosion can be controlled by ploughing across contour-
lines, making use of terrace farming techniques and using strips of grasses
to check soil erosion by wind and water.
(LONG QUESTION ANSWES)
(Answer the questions about 120 words)
(i) Explain land use pattern in India and why has the land under forest not
increased much since 1960-61?

(ii) How have technical and economic development led to more consumption
of resources?

Answer

(i) Land resources in India are primarily divided into agricultural land, forest
land, land meant for pasture and grazing, and waste land. Waste land
includes rocky, arid and desert areas, and land used for other non-
agricultural purposes such as housing, roads and industry. According to the
recent data, about 54% of the total land area is cultivable or fallow, 22.78%
is covered by forests, and 3.38% is used for grazing. The rest is waste land,
with traces of miscellaneous cultivation.
The land under forest has not increased since 1960–61 because in the post-
independence era demand for more land to expand agriculture, mainly after
Green Revolution, developmental works and infrastructural facilities, led to
clearance of forests areas. Industrialisation and urbanisation also decreased
the forest area. Thus, land under forest has increased by only about 4%
since 1960-61.

(ii) Technical and economic development have led to more consumption of

resources on account of various factors such as:
→ Technological development provides sophisticated equipments. As a
result, production increases ultimately leading to consumption of more
resources.
→ Technological development also leads to economic development. When
the economic condition of a country rises, the needs of people also rise. It
again results into more consumption of resources.

→ Economic development provides favourable environment for the

development of latest technologies. It helps to make or convert various
materials found around us into resources. Finally, it results into the
consumption of new available resources too.