GEOGRAPHY NOTES

CHAPTER – 1

SESSION – 2021- 22

RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

Q) What is a resource?

Anything available in the environment which satisfies our needs provided it is

technologically feasible, economically affordable and culturally acceptable is called a
resource.

Transformation of a thing into a resource ???

• The transformation of a thing into a resource involves human interaction with nature,
technology and institutions.
• This interaction accelerates the economic development of a country.
• Resources are function of human activities. Humans are important components of
resources they transform materials available in the environment into resources and use
them.

CLASSIFICATION OF RESOURCES-
1) ON THE BASIS OF ORIGIN-
a) Biotic resources- these resources are obtained from biosphere and have life. For eg-
plants, humans and animals.
b) Abiotic resources- these resources are non-living in nature. For eg- rocks, metals.
2) ON THE BASIS OF EXHAUSTIBILITY-
a) Renewable resources- all the resources which can be renewed and replenish through
physical, biological, mechanical and chemical processes. These resources can be
further classified as-
i) Continuous or Flow- Example- solar energy, wind energy.
ii) Biological – example- wildlife, natural vegetation.
b) Non-renewable resources- the resources which occur over a long period of time.
These resources take millions of years to form and gets exhausted once they are used.
Eg- metals, fossil fuels etc. they can be further classified as-
i) Recyclable- example- metals
ii) Non-recyclable- example- fossil fuels

3) ON THE BASIS OF OWNERSHIP-

a) Individual resources- these resources are owned privately by an individual. Example-
farmers own their agricultural land, urban people own their plot, apartment etc.
b) Community resources- these resources are accessible and available to all members of
the community. Example- picnic spots, grazing grounds, public parks etc.
c) National resources- technically all resources belong to a nation. The country has legal
powers to acquire even the private resources for public welfare. All the minerals,
water resources, land resources, flora and fauna that lie within the political boundary
and within 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from the coast belong to the nation.
d) International resources- these resources are regulated by international institutions. The
oceanic resources beyond the 200 nautical miles (370 km) of the exclusive economic
zone belong to the open ocean and no country can utilise resources without the
permission of the U.N.
NOTE-

i) 12 nautical miles from the coast of the country in water is considered as the territorial
water.

ii) India has got the right to mine manganese from Indian Ocean which lies beyond the
exclusive economic zone i.e. beyond 200 nautical miles

Exclusive Economic Zone – The area from the coast of the country till 200 nautical miles
(370km) is the exclusive economic zone of that country. A country can take out resources
from this zone without taking permission from UN and can use those resources for economic
purposes only. (This 200 nautical miles includes territorial water area also).

4) ON THE BASIS OF DEVELOPMENT-

a) Potential resources- resources which have lot of potential and are found in a region
but are not utilised properly. Example- solar energy in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
b) Developed resources- resources which are developed properly. They are surveyed and
we are aware about their quality and quantity. Example : Coal, iron etc.
 c) Reserved resources- are subset of stock; these resources are those which we have
reserved for future use. We have the technology to use these resources. Example-
water stored in a dam reservoir, which is stored for future use.
d) Stock resources- materials in the environment which have potential to satisfy human
needs but we don’t have the technology to use them at present. Example- uranium.

DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES
Q. Resources are vital for human survival. Justify.

Ans. Resources are vital for human survival and for maintaining the sustained quality of life
and for global peace.

Because of the indiscriminate use of resources, we are facing the following problems-

1. Depletion of resources to satisfy the greedy needs of individuals.

2. Accumulation of resources in few hands have created a gap between haves and have
not’s.
3. It has led to global ecological crisis like global warming, environmental pollution,
land degradation etc.
Q) What is Sustainable Development?

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

RESOURCE PLANNING
Q. What is resource planning? Why resource planning is important?

Ans. Resource planning is to strategize the judicious use of resources. It is important:

a) Resources are getting depleted by few individuals and countries which has put the future of
our planet in danger.

b) To maintain global peace as scarcity of resources might lead to subsistence crisis.

c) For sustainable existence (continued) of all forms of life.

Q Why a balanced resource planning is important for national, state, local and regional
levels?

Or
Why resource planning is important in India?

Ans - A balanced resource planning is important for national, state, local and regional level
because:-

1) Planning is the widely accepted strategy of judicious use of resources. In India we have
huge population to cater to needs of all the people a balanced panning is required.
2) For a country like India, planning is very important as there is an uneven distribution of
resources. There are regions which are rich in a particular resource and there are other
regions which face acute shortage of resources.
3) Example- Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand are rich in mineral resources, Arunachal Pradesh is
rich in water resources but lacks in infrastructural developments. Rajasthan is rich in solar
and wind energy but lacks water resources.

Q) What are the steps involved in resource planning in India?

Ans. The steps involved in resource planning in India are:-

1) Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of India with the help of
surveying and mapping, qualitative and quantitative estimation.

2) Developing a planning structure for resources and matching it with available technology,
skills and institutional setup.

3) Matching the resource development plan with the overall national development plan.

Relationship between resource and technology:

• The availability of resources is a necessary condition for the development of any
region, but mere availability of resources in the absence of corresponding changes in
technology and institutions may hinder development.
• There are many regions in our country that are rich in resources but these are included
in economically backward regions as they lack technology
• On the contrary there are some regions which have a poor resource base but they are
economically developed because they have technology.

NOTE- Resource development in India involves availability of resources along with

technology, human resources and historical experiences of people.

CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES-

Q) According to Mahatma Gandhi there is enough for everybody’s need but not for
anybody’s greed. Explain.
Ans

1) According to Mahatma Gandhi there are enough resources available for all the people
but if we will continue to overexploit the resources then it may lead to socio-
economic and environmental problems.
2) According to him, the root causes of resource depletion are- greediness of people and
exploitative nature of technology.
3) He wanted to replace mass production by production by masses.

Q What are the steps taken at global level regarding resource conservation?

Ans

1) 1968- Club of Rome advocated resource conservation to be done for the first time in a
systematic manner.
2) 1974- Schumacher used Gandhian philosophy in his book SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL.
3) 1987- Brundtland commission introduced the concept of sustainable development in
their book OUR COMMON FUTURE.
4) 1992- 1st earth summit was held in Brazil regarding global climatic change and
biological diversity.
5) 1992- Agenda 21 was adopted which aimed towards sustainable development by 21st
century.
EARTH SUMMIT – 1992
• 1st international earth summit was held in 1992 in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro).
• The heads of 100 states attended the conference to address urgent problems of
environmental protection and socio – economic development at global level.
• They signed a declaration on global climatic change and biological diversity.
• They adopted global forest principles and Agenda 21.

AGENDA 21- 1992

• It was signed by the world leaders. They aimed at achieving global sustainable
development by 21st century.
• The main agenda was to combat environmental damage, poverty, diseases through
global cooperation on common interests, mutual needs and shared responsibilities.
• Major objective was every local government should draw its own local agenda 21.

LAND RESOURCES-

1) Land is an asset with finite magnitude.

2) India has a variety of relief features. Example- 43% plain areas, 30% mountains and
27% plateaus.
3) Plain areas are fertile and are used for agriculture, construction purposes. Mountains
are useful as they are source for rivers; they maintain ecological balance and helps in
tourism. Plateaus are useful for minerals and forest resources.
LAND UTILISATION-

The use of land is determined both by physical factors such as topography, climate, soil types
as well as human factors such as population density, technological capability and culture and
traditions etc.

LAND USE IN INDIA- The total area of India is 3.28 million km2.

1) Forest - Nearly 23.3% area is covered under forest whereas the desired is 33% (national
forest policy of 1952).

2) Land not used for cultivation – It includes;

a) Barren, rocky and waste land b) Land put to non-agricultural use. eg – on which

We have constructed house, buildings, factories etc.

3) Other uncultivated land – It includes:

a) Land under permanent pastures - It has decreased from 4.7% to 3.3% , which has created
problem to feed our large cattle base.

b) Land under Miscellaneous tree crops - It cover just 1% area.

c) Culturable waste land – Which is left fallow for more than 5 years. It can be utilised for
cultivation but extensive irrigation is required. Area is 3.3% and is of poor quality or the cost
of cultivation is very high.

4) Fallow Land- It includes

a) Current Fallow- This is left fallow for 1 or less than 1 agricultural year.

b) Other than current fallow – This is left fallow for more than 1 and less than 5 agricultural
years.

5) Net Sown Area - Area sown more than once in an agricultural year is net sown area.

Note
 • Gross cropped area: Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown
area is known as gross cropped area. Gross cropped area is more than net sown area.
• The total net sown area of India as per 2014-2015 data is 45.5% and if we will include
fallow and other than current fallow land then this area might increase to 54%.
• Net sown area varies from state to state. Example- Punjab and Haryana have 80%
N.S.A whereas Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram have 10% N.S.A.

LAND DEGRADATION -

1) Human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, mining etc. have contributed

in land degradation.
2) Example- in states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh deforestation
due to mining and abandoning the mining site after excavation has led to land
degradation.
3) In states like Gujarat and Rajasthan overgrazing has led to land degradation.
4) In states like Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh over irrigation has led to
increase in saline and alkaline levels in soil that causes land degradation.
5) Pollution caused by industries also led to land degradation.
6) Pollution caused by mineral processing units like cement industry, ceramic
industry generates huge quantities of dust which settles down on the soil
preventing water in filtration and causing land degradation.

LAND CONSERVATION-

a) Afforestation – growing trees.

b) Controlling on overgrazing – keep a check on grazing.

c) Proper management of waste lands.

d) Proper disposal and discharge of industrial effluents.

e) In arid areas, planting of shelter belts, check on overgrazing and stabilisation of sand dunes
by growing thorny bushes are effective measures for land degradation.

SOIL RESOURCES

- Soil is the most important renewable natural resource.

- Soil is a living system as it is the medium for plant growth and it supports different type of
living organisms.
- It takes millions of years to form soil. Other factors that affects it’s formation are
a) Relief
b) Parent Rock
c) Climate
d) Time
e) Microorganisms

Classification of Soil
1. Alluvial Soil( Most widely spread soil):
a) The Northern Plains are made up of alluvial soil, it is formed by the deposition of
Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra.
b) It contains proportions of sand, silt and clay.
c) It contains potash, phosphoric acid and lime which is suitable for the growth of
wheat, paddy and sugarcane etc.
d) These regions are very fertile; therefore it is densely populated and extensively
cultivated.
e) This soil is found in the northern plains, few areas of Rajasthan and Gujarat and
deltas of eastern coastal plain. Deltas of Mahanadi. Krishna, Kaveri etc are also
rich in alluvial soil.

Note:

a) In dryer regions with proper treatment and irrigation it can become productive.
b) Alluvial soil is very common in Piedmont plains.

Classification of Alluvial Soil on the basis of

Age:-

Khadar- It is new alluvial soil and more fertile

Bhangar- It is old alluvial soil and less fertile

Size:-

Towards the inland of river valley soil particles are bigger in size.
In the upper part of river valley soil particles are course in nature.

2. Black Soil/ Regur Soil/ Cotton Soil

a) It is made of lava and it is ideal for the growth of cotton.
b) The climatic conditions and the parent rock helps in the formation of this soil.
c) It contains clayey material which can hold a lot of moisture.
d) It is rich in chemicals like potash, lime, calcium carbonate and magnesium poor in
phosphoric content.
e) This soil develops cracks during hot weather which is important for proper
aeration.
f) It becomes sticky when wet therefore, tilling is required immediately after first
rainfall.
 g) Areas: Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Deccan Plateau, Madhya Pradesh

3. Laterite Soil
a) Laterite word is derived from a latin word ‘later’ which means brick. It develops
under tropic and sub-tropic regions with alternate dry and wet season.
b) It is found in the areas where heavy rainfall and high temperature. It is formed due
to intense leaching (erosion) because of heavy rainfall.
c) Humus content is low as most of the microorganisms get destroyed due to high
temperature.
d) Where it supports deciduous and evergreen forests the humus content is more but
in areas with sparse vegetation and in semi-arid regions where the humus content
is less.
e) After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques particularly in the hilly
areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, this soil is very useful for growing tea
and coffee. Red laterite soil is suitable for growth of cashew nuts.
f) Areas: Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Assam.

4. Red and Yellow Soil

a) It is obtained from crystalline igneous rocks in the areas of low rainfall.
b) Due to diffusion of iron it appears red in colour and when it is available in
hydrated form, it appears yellow in colour.
c) Areas: Eastern and Southern parts of Deccan Plateau, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

5. Arid Soil
a) It is sandy in texture and saline in nature,
b) In some areas, salt content is very high and common salt can be obtained by
evaporating water.
c) Due to dry climate and high temperature, it lacks humus and moisture content
therefore, proper irrigation is required to make the soil cultivable.
d) The lower layer of the soil is occupied by kankar which restricts infiltration of
water.
e) Areas: Rajasthan and Gujarat.

6. Forest Soil
a) It is found in high hilly areas and mountains.
b) Soil texture varies according to the mountain environment where they are formed.
c) Towards the valley side, this soil is silty and loamy.
 d) Towards the upper part of the area this soil is course.
e) Towards the foot of the valley near river terraces and alluvial fans, this soil is
fertile.
f) In snow covered areas, these soils lacks humus content and experiences massive
erosion and denudation.

Soil Conservation and Soil Erosion

The denudation {removal} of soil cover because of different agents of water, wind etc which
removes the top layer of the soil is called Soil Erosion. It is also caused because of human
activities like deforestation, overgrazing, mining etc.

Types of Soil Erosion

a. Gully Erosion - When the running water makes a deep cut on clayey soil, they form
deep channels called gully. This land is not suited for cultivation and is referred to as
badlands. In Chambal, it is called ravines.
b. Sheet Erosion - Sometimes the water spreads as a sheet over a larger area which
removes the top layer of the soil. It is called sheet erosion.
c. Wind Erosion - Wind blows away top layer of the soil.
d. Defective methods of farming – It often leads to soil erosion.

Methods of Soil Conservation:

1) Afforestation.
2) Check on overgrazing.
3) Terrace farming which is practiced in Western and Central Himalayas.
4) Shelter Belts is a technique of planting trees in a line which also breaks the force of
wind and stabilizes the sand dunes.
5) Strip Cropping is where grass is grown between crops that break the force of wind.
6) Contour Ploughing is an effective method to control Soil Erosion, ploughing is done
on contour lines on hills to decelerate the rate of flowing water.
7) In arid region techniques like shelter belts, checking on over grazing and growing
thorny bushes on sand dunes to stabilizes the sand dune.

Case Study from India

1) The people of village Sukhomajri proved that land degradation can be reversed. They
increased their tree density from 13 hectare in 1976 to 1272 hectare in 1992. As a result,
 it improved their environment, fertility of soil, availability of resources and lastly their
income.
2) People were made decision makers by the government of Madhya Pradesh which helped in
ecological restoration of over 2.9 hectare of land or 1% of total area of India was greened through
water shed programme.