RESOURCES & DEVELOPMENT

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.These resources can be classified in the following ways –

ON THE BASIS OF ORIGIN

Biotic Resources Abiotic Resources
These are obtained from biosphere & have life such as All those things which are composed of non-living things.
human beings. Ex – rocks, metals, land, water
Ex – flora & fauna, fisheries, livestock, etc.

ON THE BASIS OF STATUS OF DEVELOPMENT

Potential Resources
Resources which are found in a region but haven’t been
utilised.
Ex - Gujarat & Rajasthan have a lot a potential for the
development of wind & solar energy, but it hasn't been
developed properly
Developed Resources
Resources which are surveyed & their quality & quantity
have been determined for utilisation. The development of
resources depends on technology & level of their
feasibility. Ex - Coal mines

Stock
Materials in the environment which have the potential to
satisfy human needs but man doesn’t have the appropriate
technology to access. These are included among Stock
Reserves. Ex-water is a compound of 2 gases : Hydrogen
& Oxygen. Hydrogen can be used as a rich source of
energy but we don’t have advanced technical ‘know-how’
to use it for this purpose.
Reserve
Reserves are the subset of the stock, which can be put into
use with the help of existing technical ‘know-how’ but
their use hasn’t been started. These can be used for
meeting future requirements. Ex-river water can be used to
generate electricity (hydro) but presently, its being utilised
only to limited extent, water in dams, forests, etc is a
reserve which can be used in the future.

ON THE BASIS OF EXHAUSTIBILITY

Renewable Resources Non - Renewable Resources
Resources which can be renewed or reproduced by These resources take millions of years of their formation.
physical, chemical or mechanical processes are known as They may exhaust due to excessive use.Some of the
renewable or replenishable resources. resources like metals are recyclable and some like fossil
Ex - solar and wind energy, forest, water, & wildlife etc fuels cannot be recycled and get exhausted with their use.
Ex - petrol, coal, fossil fuels, etc.
The renewable resource may further be divided into
continuous or flow

ON THE BASIS OF OWNERSHIP

Indivisual Resources Community Owned Resources International National Resources

Resources which are
privately owned by
indivisuals.
Ex- farmers own pieces
of land or house
plantation, pasture lands,
water in wells are some
sources owned by
indivisuals
These resources are
accessible to all members of
the community.
Ex- village ponds, public,
parks, playgrounds in urban
areas are accessible to all
the residents of that area.
There are international
institutions that own and
regulate some resources.
Ex - the oceanic resources
beyond 200km of the exclusive
Economic Zone belong to the
open ocean and no indivisual
country can utilise these
without the concurrence of
international institutions.
All the resources within
the political boundaries
of a nation including
territorial water ( oceanic
area upto 12 nautical
miles from the coast) and
resources therein belong
to the nation
Agenda 21 : It is a declaration signed by the world leaders in 1992 at UNCED , which took places at
Rio de Janeiro . It aims at achieving Global Sustainable Development.
*UNCED - United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

PHYSICAL FACTORS HUMAN FACTORS

Use of Land is Topography Population Density
determined by Climate Technological Capability
Soil Types Culture & Traditions

MOUNTAINS PLAINS PLATEAUS

(covering 30% land) (covering 43% land) (covering 27% land)

India has Land under a
variety of relief features
 Ensure perennial flow of
some rivers
 Provide facilities of
tourism & ecological
aspects.
 Provide facilities for It possesses rich
agriculture & industry reserves of minerals,
fossil fuels & forests.

Land Utilisation : Land resources are used for the following purposes :
Forest

Land put to non-agricultural uses : eg buildings , roads, factories etc.

Net sown area : Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area is known as gross cropped area.

Fallow lands : Land left without cultivation for one or more than one agricultural year .

Other cultivated land : Permanent pastures and grazing land , land under miscellaneous tree crops groves (not included
in net sown area), Culturable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years)

SOIL Factors of Soil Formation

- most important renewable resource - relief
- medium of plant growth - parent / bed rock
- supports different kinds of living organisms on the earth - climate, vegetation
- is a living system - change in temperature
- takes millions of years to form soil upto a few cm in depth - actions of running water, wind & glaciers
- activities of decomposers.

SOIL EROSION - denudation of soil cover & subsequent washing down of soil.

CAUSES OF SOIL EROSION

deforestation, overgrazing, construction, mining, natural forces like wind, glacier & water
defective methods of Farming => ploughing in a wrong way; i.e. up & down the slope
form channels for quick flow of water leading to Soil Erosion.

Sheet Erosion : Water flows as a sheet over large area down a slope & removes the top soil.
Gully Erosion : Running water cuts through the clayey soils & makes deep channel gullies. The
land dissected by gullies becomes unfit for cultivation.
 Resource Planning :
Identification & Inventory of resources across the regions of the country. This involves surveying , mapping &
qualitative & quantitative estimation & measurement of the resources.
Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill & institutional set up for implementing
resource development plans.
Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans.
Planning is the widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources. It is important in India, which has enormous
diversity in the availability of resources. There are some regions which can be considered self sufficient in terms of
availability of resources while some regions have acute shortage of some vital resources.

Example :–
States of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh & M.P. are rich in minerals & coal deposits.
AP has abundance of water resources but lacks insfrastructural development.
Rajasthan is very well endowed with solar & wind energy but lacks water resources.
Ladakh has very rich cultural heritage but is deficient in water, insfructure & same vital minerals.
This calls for balanced resource planning at national, state, regional & local levels.

Land Degradation Land/Soil Conservation

Mining sites are abandoned as after excavation work is Afforestation & proper management of grazing.
complete, it leaves deep scars & traces of over burdening.
Planting of shelter belts of plants
Deforestation due to mining has caused severe land
degradation. Stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
Over-irrigation due to water logging leading to ↑se in salinity Proper management of waste lands
& alkalinity in the soil.

Mineral processes like grinding of limestone for cement
industry & calcite & soapstone for ceramic industry generate
huge quantity of dust in atoms. This retards the process of
infilteration of water into the soil after it settles down on land.
Industrial effluents – major source of land & water pollution.
Control of mining activities
Proper discharge & disposal of industrial effluents &
wastes after treatment can reduce land & water
degradation in industrial & suburban area.

Over-grazing in states like Haryana, Rajasthan, M.P etc.

Land Resources
Land is a natural resource of atmost  However, land is  Therefore, its important to use the
importance → It supports natural an asset of finite available land for various purposes
vegetation wild life, human life, magnitude. with careful planning.
economic acts, transport &
communication systems.

Technological Developments Leading to more consumption of Resources

Higher level of technological development needs more & more resources for production activities.
It was the higher level of technological development of the colonial countries that was responsible for the over-
exploitation of resources of the colonies.
Gandhi ji places the exploitative nature of modern technology as the root causes for resources depletion at the global level.
He was a/g mass production & wanted to replace it with production of masses.
Similarly, economic development depends on the more consumption of resources.
Ex – water resources are being over exploited to expand irrigated area during dry-season agriculture.
 Types of Soil
Alluvial Soil
It is widely spread. The entire
Northern plains are made of alluvial soil
Eg :- Parts of Gujarat , Rajasthan etc
On the basis of age , alluvial soil can be classified into :
(a) Bangar : old alluvial ,more concentration of Kanker
nodules and is less fertile.
(b) Khadar : New alluvial , less concentration of Kanker
nodules and is more fertile .
Alluvial soil consists of potash, phosphoric and lime .
Ideal for sugarcane , paddy , wheat and other cereal
and pulse crops.
Black Soil (Regur Soil)
Black in colour and ideal for growing cotton . Therefore
also called black cotton soil .
Covers the north - western Deccan Plateau, plateau of
Maharashtra, Saurashtra , Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and
Chattisgarh.
It is rich in soil nutrients such as calcium carbonate,
magnesium, potash and lime.
Made up of extremely fine clayey material and is known
for its capacity to hold moisture
Red and Yellow Soil
Develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas
of low rainfall .
It covers southern and eastern part of Deccan plateau,
parts of Chhatisgarh and Odisha and piedmont zone of
Western Ghats.
Soil develops a red colour on diffusion with iron
in crystalline and metamorphic rocks.
It becomes yellow in hydrated form.
Laterite Soil
In the areas of heavy rainfall and high temperature
Humus content is low as bacteria die in high temperature.
Suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of manures
and fertilizers.
Found in Karnataka ,Kerala , Tamil Nadu , Madhya
Pradesh and hilly areas of Odisha and Assam .
After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques
in hilly areas of Karnataka , Kerala and Tamil Nadu,
this soil is very useful for growing Tea and coffee.
Red laterite soil in Tamil Nadu ,Kerala and Andhra
Pradesh is suitable for growing cashew nut.
Arid Soil
Ranges from red to brown in colour.
Sandy in texture and saline in nature
Due to dry climate and high temperature ,
soil lacks in humus and moisture content .
After proper irrigation facilities, it is cultivable.
Lies in the western part of Rajasthan .
Forest Soil
Found in hilly and mountainous areas where sufficient
rain forests are available .
The soil texture varies according to mountain environment
where they are formed . They are loamy and silty in valley
sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes.
In the snowcovered areas , soil experiences denudation and
are acidic with low humus content. Soil found in the lower
parts of the valleys on river terraces and alluvial fans are
fertile.