Resources:

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’.

Resources are not free gifts of nature.

Resources are a function of human activities.

Human beings themselves are essential components of resources. They transform material
available in our environment into resources and use them.

The process of transformation of things available in our environment involves an inter-

dependent relationship between nature, technology and institutions.

Human beings interact with nature through technology and create institutions to accelerate
their economic development.

Classification of resources:

The resources can be classified on the basis of origin, exhaustibility , ownership and status of
development.

On the Basis of Origin

Biotic Abiotic
Biotic Resources are obtained from the Abiotic Resources are composed of non-
biosphere and have life. living things.

Human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, For example, air, water, rocks, metals etc.
livestock etc. are examples of biotic
resources.

On the Basis of Exhaustibility

Renewable Resources Non-Renewable Resources:

The resources which can be renewed or Non-renewable resources occur over a
reproduced by physical, chemical or very long geological time. Minerals and
mechanical processes are known as fossil fuels are examples of such
renewable or replenishable resources. resources.
 The renewable resource may further be These resources take millions of years in
sub-divided into continuous or flow their formation.

For example, solar and wind energy, Some of the resources like metals are
water, forests and wildlife, etc. The recyclable and some like fossil fuels
renewable resource may further be cannot be recycled and get exhausted
divided into continuous or flow with use.

On the Basis of Ownership

Individual Community National International

Resources Owned Resources Resources
Resources
Individual resources are There are resources All the resources The resources that are
owned privately by which are accessible within the political regulated by
individuals. to all the members boundaries and international
of the community. territorial water institutions like UN are
Many farmers own land (oceanic area up to called international
which is allotted to Village grazing 12 nautical miles) resource.
them by government grounds, burial belong to the nation
against the payment of grounds, village and are called The oceanic resources
revenue. ponds, etc. are national resources. beyond 200 nautical
examples of miles of the Exclusive
Urban people own community The government of Economic Zone belong
plots, houses and other resources in rural the country has legal to open ocean and no
property. areas. powers to acquire individual country can
land, houses etc. utilise these resources
Plantation, pasture Public parks, picnic owned by individuals without the
lands, ponds, wells etc. spots, playgrounds in for public good. concurrence of
are some of the urban areas are de international
examples of individual facto accessible to all institutions.
resources owned by the people living
individuals. there.
On the Basis of the Status of Development

Potential Developed Stock Reserves

Resources: Resources

Resources which are Resources which are Materials in the Reserves are the
found in a region, surveyed and their environment which subset of stock,
but have not been quality and quantity have the potential which can be put
utilised. have been to satisfy human into use with the
determined for needs but human help of existing
For example, the utilisation. beings do not have technical ‘know-
western parts of appropriate how’ but their use
India particularly The development of technology to access has not been
Rajasthan and resources depends these, are included started.
Gujarat have on technology and among stock.
enormous potential level of their These can be used
for the development feasibility. For example, water for meeting future
of wind and solar is a compound of requirements. River
energy, but so far two gases; hydrogen water can be used
these have not been and oxygen. for generating
developed properly. Hydrogen can be hydroelectric power
used as a rich source but presently, it is
of energy. But we do being utilised only to
not have advanced a limited extent.
technical ‘know- Thus, the water in
how’ to use it for the dams, forests
this purpose. Hence, etc. is a reserve
it can be considered which can be used in
as stock. the future.

Territorial Water Exclusive Economic Zone

Territorial water is a belt of coastal waters
extending at most 12 nautical
miles (22.2 km) from the baseline (A normal
base line is defined usually as the mean
low-water mark) of a coastal state.
The territorial sea is regarded as the
sovereign territory of the state, although
innocent passage of foreign ships (civilian)
An exclusive economic zone extends from
the outer limit of the territorial sea to a
maximum of 200 nautical miles (370.4 km)
from the territorial sea baseline. A coastal
nation has control of all economic
resources within its exclusive economic
zone, including fishing, mining, oil
exploration, and any pollution of those
 are allowed  through it. resources.

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.

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992

 In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for the first
International Earth Summit.
 The Summit was convened for addressing urgent problems of environmental
protection and socio- economic development at the global level.
 The assembled leaders signed the Declaration on Global Climatic Change and
Biological Diversity.
 The Rio Convention endorsed the global Forest Principles and adopted Agenda 21 for
achieving Sustainable Development in the 21st century.

Agenda 21

 It is the declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at the United Nations

Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which took place at Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil.
 It aims at achieving global sustainable development.
 It is an agenda to combat environmental damage, poverty, disease through global
co-operation on common interests, mutual needs and shared responsibilities.
 One major objective of the Agenda 21 is that every local government should draw its
own local Agenda 21.

RESOURCE PLANNING
Definition: Resource Planning is the widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources.

Importance of Resource Planning in India:

 India has enormous diversity in the availability of resources.

 There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but are deficient in
some other resources.
 There are some regions which can be considered self -sufficient in terms of the
availability of resources and there are some regions which have acute shortage of
some vital 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 is relatively isolated from the rest of the country. It has
very rich cultural heritage but it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some vital
minerals.

Stages in Resource Planning:

Resource planning is a complex process which involves the following:

(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.

Conservation of resources:

Conservation is the care and protection of natural resources like water, air, wild life, flora
etc. so that it can persist for future generations. It includes maintaining diversity of species,
genes, and ecosystems, as well as functions of the environment, such as nutrient cycling. 

Resources are vital for any developmental activity. Irrational consumption and over-
utilisation of resources may lead to socio-economic and environmental problems. To
overcome these problems, resource conservation at various levels is important.

In the words of Gandhiji, “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for any body’s
greed.”

LAND RESOURCES

 land is a natural resource of utmost importance as we live on land and perform our
economic activities on land.
 It supports natural vegetation, wild life, human life, economic activities, transport
and communication systems.
 Ninety-five per cent of our basic needs for food, shelter and clothing are obtained
from land.

 Land is an asset of a finite magnitude, therefore, it is important to use the available

land for various purposes with careful planning.
India has land under a variety of relief features, namely; mountains, plateaus, plains

Landform %of land area Significance

Mountain 30 Ensure perennial flow of some rivers, provide
facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.
Plain 43 Provides facilities for agriculture, industry,
Communication lines, Settlement.
Plateau 27 Possesses rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and
forests.

Land Use Pattern in India

The use of land is determined both by

Physical factors such as topography, climate and soil

Human factors such as population density, technological capability and culture and
traditions.

Geographical Area Reporting Area

Total geographical area of India is 3.28
million sq. km
The Survey of India is responsible for
measuring geographical area in India.
The reporting area stands for the area for
which data on land use classification are
available.
Land Use records are maintained by the
Land Revenue department.
Reporting area in our country is 93 per cent
of the total geographical area because the

a. land use reporting for most of the north-

east states except Assam has not been
done fully.

b. some areas of Jammu and Kashmir

occupied by Pakistan and China have also
not been surveyed.
LAND UTILISATION / Land use categories

Land resources are used for the following purposes:

1. Forests

2. Barren and waste land

3. Land under non-agricultural uses, e.g. buildings, roads, factories, etc.

4. Permanent pastures and grazing land,

5. Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves (not included in net sown area)

6. Culturable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years)

7. Current fallow (left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year)

8.Fallow Other than current fallow-(left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years).

9.Net sown area (Net sown area is the total area sown with crops only once in a year)

Net Sown Area Gross Cropped Area

Net sown area is the total area sown with Area sown more than once in an
crops only once in a year agricultural year plus net sown area is
known as gross cropped area.

 The percentage of NSA in India including other than the current fallow lands is 54
per cent of the total reporting area.
 The pattern of net sown area varies greatly from one state to another.
 It is over 80 per cent of the total area in Punjab and Haryana due to availability of
fertile soil, flat plain land and favourable climatic conditions for agriculture.
 NSA is less than 10 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman
Nicobar Islands due to hilly rocky terrain, dense forest cover and harsh climatic
conditions.
 According to National Forest Policy 33% of country’s total area should be covered by
forest for the maintenance of the ecological balance.
 The total forest cover in India is 23.3 % of the total area which is much less than the
desired area.
 Waste land includes rocky, arid and desert areas.
  Land put to other non-agricultural uses includes settlements, roads, railways,
industry etc.
 The land under permanent pasture has decreased. India now has to depend on
fodder crop to feed its huge cattle population which in turn has reduced land
available for cultivation of food crop.

LAND DEGRADATION

Temporary or permanent decline in the productive capacity of land is termed as land

degradation.

Continuous use of land over a long period of time without taking appropriate measures to
conserve and manage it, has resulted in land degradation. This, in turn, has serious
repercussions on society and the environment.

Human activities such as deforestation, over grazing, mining and quarrying have contributed
significantly in land degradation.

Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is complete leaving deep scars and traces
of over-burdening. In states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha
deforestation due to mining have caused severe land degradation.

Overgrazing- occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of

time. It reduces the usefulness, biodiversity, and productivity of the land and is one cause of
desertification and erosion. 
In Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra overgrazing is one of the main
reasons for land degradation.

Over irrigation- In the states of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, over irrigation is
responsible for depletion of soil fertility. Large tract of agricultural land has lost its fertility
due to alkalisation and salinization of soils and waterlogging.

The mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry and calcite and
soapstone for ceramic industry generate huge quantity of dust in the atmosphere. It retards
the process of infiltration of water into the soil after it settles down on the land.

Industrial effluents as waste have become a major source of land and water pollution in
many parts of the country.

CONSERVATION MEASURES

There are many ways to solve the problems of land degradation:

Afforestation
Planting of shelter belts of plants

Control on over grazing

Stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes are some of the methods to check
land degradation in arid areas.

Proper management of waste lands

Control on mining activities

Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment can reduce
land and water degradation in industrial and suburban areas.

SOIL AS A RESOURCE

 Soil is the loose surface material consisting of inorganic particles and organic matter
that covers the land surface.
 Soil is the most important renewable natural resource.
 Soil is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of living organisms
on the earth.
 It is a living system and takes millions of years to form soil up to a few cm in depth.
 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.
 On the basis of formation, colour, thickness, texture, age, chemical and physical
properties, the soils of India are classified as:

1. Alluvial Soil
2. Black Soil
3. Red And Yellow Soil
4. Laterite Soil
5. Arid Soil
6. Forest Soil

Soil Erosion

 The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil
erosion.
 The processes of soil formation and erosion, go on simultaneously and generally
there is a balance between the two.
  Human activities like deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining are the
major causes of soil erosion.

 Action of wind, glacier and water also lead to soil erosion.

Types of Soil Erosion

Gully Erosion
The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies.
The land becomes unfit for cultivation due to formation of gullies and is known as
bad land.
In the Chambal basin such lands are called ravines.

Sheet Erosion

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.

Wind erosion
Wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land known as wind erosion.

Soil erosion is also caused due to defective methods of farming. Ploughing in a wrong
way i.e. up and down the slope form channels for the quick flow of water leading to
soil erosion.

Soil Conservation

Contour ploughing: Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water
down the slopes. This is called contour ploughing.

Terrace cultivation: Steps can be cut out on the mountain slopes making terraces. Terrace
cultivation restricts erosion. Western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace
farming.

Strip cropping: Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow
between the crops. This breaks up the force of the wind. This method is known as strip
cropping.

Shelter belts: Planting lines of trees to create shelter also works in a similar way. Rows of
such trees are called shelter belts. These shelter belts have contributed significantly to the
stabilisation of sand dunes and in stabilising the desert in western India.