Ch- Resources and Development

Resource: Things which can be used to satisfy our needs, is technologically accessible, economically
feasible and culturally acceptable.

Interdependent relationship between nature, technology and

institutions

Types of Resources:
Resources can be classified on different bases; into following types:
a. On the basis of origin: Biotic and Abiotic
b. On the basis of exhaustibility: Renewable and Non-renewable
c. On the basis of ownership: Individual, community, national and international
d. On the basis of status of development: Potential, Developed, Stock and Reserves

Classification of Resources: On the basis of Origin

a. Biotic Resources: All living organisms in our environment are called biotic resources. For example,
human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock, trees, animals, insects, etc.

b. Abiotic Resources: All non-living things present in our environment are termed as abiotic resources.
For example – earth, air, water, metals, rocks, etc.

Classification of Resources: On the basis of Exhaustibility:

a. Renewable Resources: Resources that can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or
mechanical processes after a short period of time. For example – agricultural crops, solar and wind
energy, water, forests and wildlife etc.
 May further be divided into continuous or flow.
b. Non-renewable Resources: Resources which takes million years of time to replenish. Minerals and
fossil Fuels.
 May further be divided into recyclable and non-recyclable.

Classification of Resources: On the Basis of ownership:

a. Individual: Resources owned by individuals are called Individual Resources. For example – land
owned by farmers, house, etc.

b. Community: Resources owned by community or society are called Community Owned Resources.
For example – Graveyard, grazing land, ponds, burial grounds, park, etc.

c. National Resources: All the minerals,

water resources, forests, wildlife, land within
the political boundaries and oceanic
area upto 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from
the coast termed as territorial water and
resourcesFor example – Government land,
Roads, canals, Railway, etc.
d.
 e. International Resources: Resources regulate by International bodies are called International
Resources. For example – Ocean and sea beyond 200 nm of the Exclusive Economic Zone and is
called open sea or ocean. No individual country can utilize these resources without the permission
of International bodies.

“India has got the right tomine manganese

nodules from the bed ofthe Indian Ocean
from that area which liesbeyond the exclusive
economic zone.”

Classification of Resources: On the basis of Status of Development:

a. Potential Resources: Resources which are found in a particular region, but not yet used properly.
For example – Rajasthan and Gujarat receive plenty of solar energy and have plenty of wind energy,
but use of these resources so far has not been developed properly.

b. Developed Resources: Resources which are developed and surveyed for utilization and are being
used in present time are known as Developed Resources.

c. Stock: Resources that are available, but we do not have proper technology to used them are called
Stock. For example – water is made of oxygen and hydrogen, which can be used as fuel, but
because of lack of proper technology these are not being used.

d. Reserves: Resources which are available and the knowhow to use them is also present but they are
yet to be used are called Reserves. For example – river water which is not used to generate
electricity.

Discriminate use of Resources

Resources are vital for human beings. But indiscriminate use of resources is creating many problems.
Examples:
 Accumulation of resources in only few hands leaves others unsatisfied.
 Indiscriminate use of resources is creating many problems around the world, such as global
warming, ecological crisis, disturbance in ozone layer, etc.
 Thus, equal distribution of resources becomes necessary for sustainable development.

Sustainable Development: is that process which fulfils the needs of present generation, without
causing any harm to the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs.

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992: Keeping the view of justified use of resources and sustainable
development, the Earth Summit was organized in 1992 in Rio de Janeiroin which more than 100 state
heads agreed with Agenda 21 for the sustainable development and proper use of resources. The Summit
wasconvened for addressing urgent problems of environmental protection and socioeconomic
development at the global level.
 Agenda 21 is an agenda to combat environmental damage, poverty, disease, etc. through global co-
operation on common interests, mutual needs and shared responsibilities. Major objective of the agenda
21 is that every local government should draw its own local Agenda 21.

Resource Planning:

Resource planning is the judicious use of resources. Resource planning becomes more important in a
country like India, where resources are not distributed properly. Many states are rich in mineral and
deficient in other resources, For example,
 The states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits.
 Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water resources but lacks in infrastructural development.
 The state of Rajasthan is very well endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks in water resources.
 The cold desert of Ladakh has very rich cultural heritage but deficient in water, infrastructure and
some vital minerals.
These types of discriminations can be reduced with proper planning of judicious use of resources.

Resource Planning in India:

Following are the main points of Resource planning.

a. Making of inventory of resources after their region-wise identification across the country. Which is
involves surveying, mapping and qualitative and quantitative estimation.
b. Evolving a planning structure with appropriate technology, skill and institutions.
c. Matching the resource development plan with overall national development plan.

Conservation of Resources:
Overuse of resources creates many socio-economic problems. Many leaders and thinkers have been
advocating for the judicious use and conservation of resources.

Gandhiji told “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for any body’s greed.” He thought that
exploitative nature of modern technology is the root cause for depletion at global level. He was
againstmass production and wanted to replace it with the production by the masses.

Thus, conservation of resources at various levels becomes most important. Resources can be conserved
only with their judicious use.

At the international level, some organisation advocated resource conservation:

 In 1968, The Club of Rome advocated resource conservation.

 In 1974, Gandhian philosophy was once again presented by Schumacher in his book Small is Beautiful.
 In 1987, the Brundtland Commission Reportintroduced the concept of ‘Sustainable Development’ and
advocated it as a means for resource conservation, published in a book entitled Our Common Future.
Land Resources:

Land is one of the most important natural resources. It supports natural vegetation, wild life, human life,
economic activities, and transport and communication systems. Thus, careful planning of use of land
resource is necessary.

Plains:About 43 per cent of the land area is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture and industry.

Mountains: account for 30 per cent of the total surface area of the
country and ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide facilities
for tourism and ecological aspects.

Plateau: About 27 per cent of the area of the country is the plateau
region. It possesses rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.

Land Utilisation: Patterns of use of Land Resources

1. Forests
2. Land not available for cultivation: There are two types of land which are not used for
agriculture purpose. These are:
1. Barren and waste land
2. Lands used for buildings, roads, factories, etc.

3. Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land)

1. Permanent pastures and grazing land,
2. Land under miscellaneous tree, crops groves (not included in net sown area),
3. Cultruable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years).

4. Fallow lands
1. Current fallow -(left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year),
2. Other than current fallow -(left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years).

5. Net sown area: Area which is sown at least once in a year is called net sown area.

6. Gross cropped area: Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area
is known as gross cropped area.
Land Use Pattern in India:
Pattern of use of land depends upon physical factors and human factors both.
 Climate, topography, type of soil, etc. are considered as physical factors while
 Population density,technology, skill, tradition, capability, etc. are considered as human
factors.

India has total 3.28 million sq. km land used data. But only 93% of land of total geographical area is
available. This is because land used data has not been collected for the north eastern states except Assam
and the land occupied by Pakistan and China has not been surveyed because of many unavoidable reasons.
The pattern of net sown area varies widely from state to state. Where net sown area is 80% instate like
Punjab, it is only 10% in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar
Island. Such difference is creating lot of discrimination.

According to National Forest Policy (1952),the forest should be 33% of total geographical area, which is
essential to maintain ecological balance.

Land degradation and conservation

 Mining in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh; lands are left
abandoned without proper treatment after the completion of mining works.

 In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra,Overgrazing is one of the main
reasons for land degradation.

 In the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Over Irrigation causes water shortage and increase
in salinity and alkalinity due to water logging.

 In Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, land is degraded because of flood.

 States, in which minerals processing, such as grinding of lime stone, manufacturing of cement, etc.
produce huge quantity of dust. These dusts prevent the percolation of water because of deposition
on the ground and it is responsible for degradation of land.

The degradation of land creates many problems, such as flood, decrease in yield, etc. which leads to
decrease in GDP and country has to face economic problems.
Measures to Conserve the Land Resources:
Degradation of land can be prevented by taking following measures:
o Afforestation
o Proper management of grazing.
o Stabilisation of sand dunes by plantation of thorny bushes.
o Proper management of waste lands.
o By proper irrigation.
o By proper harvesting.
o Control over mining activities.
o Proper management of land after completion of mining work.
o Discharge of industrial waste and effluents only after proper treatment.
o Plantation of trees along the road sides.
o By preventing deforestation.

Soil as a natural resource:

Soil is one of the most important natural resources. Soil supports the growth of plants. Soil is the natural
home of many living organism.
Relief, parent rock or bed rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors
in the formation of soil. Various forces of nature such as change in temperature, actions of running water,
wind and glaciers, activities of decomposers etc. contribute to the formation of soil.

Classification of Soil:
Soil is categorized in many types on the basis of texture, colour, age, chemical properties, etc. India is a
vast country which comprises of many types of land. Thus, many types of soils are found in different
regions in India.
Alluvial Soil
Availability:
 Found near the river or [Link] eastern coastal plains such as the deltas of the Mahanadi, the
Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers area and the entire northern plains are made of alluvial
soil.
 It is formed by three important Himalayan river systems– the Indus, the Ganga and the
Brahmaputra.

Nature:
 The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay.
 Itisalso classified on the basis of their age.
 The older alluvial soil is known as Bangar. It has higher concentration of kanker nodules.
 The new alluvial soil is known [Link] has more fine particles and is more fertile than the
bangar.
 Alluvial soil is rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
 Alluvial soil is good for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat, maize, and pulses.

Black SoilIt is also known as Regur Soil.

Availability:
 Black soil is found in the North West Deccan plateau(Deccan trap (Basalt) region), the
plateau of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh and
extent along with the valley of Krishna and Godavari Rivers.

Nature:
 Black soil has high concentration of fine particles and thus can hold moisture for long
time.
 It contains calcium, potassium, magnesium and lime.
 It develop deep cracks during hot weather, which helps in the proper aeration of the soil.
 It is suitable for the growth of cotton.

Red and Yellow Soil

Red soil develops on crystalline igneous [Link] soil looks red due to presence of iron. Itlook
yellow when it occurs in hydrated form. Red soil is present in the eastern and southern parts of the
Deccan Plateau. Red soil is also found in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, on the southern part of the
Gangetic plains and along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.

Laterite Soil
Laterite soil is formed in regions which get high rainfall with high temperature. This causes
leaching of the soil and micro-organisms are killed during the process. Due to this, laterite soil
does not contain humus or contains very low amount of humus. This soil is mainly found in Kerala,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and in hilly areas of Orissa and Assam. This soil can be
made cultivable with heavy dose of manures. This soil is very useful for growing tea and
coffee, cashew nut.
Arid Soil
Arid soil is found in those areas which receive scanty rainfall. Due to high temperature,
evaporation is faster in these regions. The soil has a high content of salt. Arid soil can be made
cultivable with proper treatment. Arid soil is present in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Forest Soil
The forest soil is found in hilly areas. The soil in upper parts is highly acidic because of
denudation. The soil in the lower part is highly fertile.

Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

Removal of top soil is called soil erosion. Or
The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soilerosion.

Causes:

1. Intense farming and other human activitieslike deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining etc;
2. Natural forces like wind, glacier and water lead to soil erosion.
3. The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as [Link] the Chambal basin
such lands are called ravines.
4. Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. In such cases the top soil is washed away.
This is known as sheet erosion.
5. Wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land known as wind erosion.

Soil conservation can be done by many methods.

1. Afforestation is the main method because trees hold the topsoil in place.
2. Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water down the slopes. This is called contour
ploughing.
3. Steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces. Terrace cultivation restricts erosion. Western and
central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming.
4. Large fields can be divided into [Link] of grass are left to grow between the crops. This breaks up the
force of the wind. This method is known as strip cropping.
5. Planting lines of trees to create shelter. Rows of such trees are called shelter belts. These shelter belts halp to
the stabilisation of sand dunes and in stabilising the desert in western India.