CH-1

RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

Q1.What are resources ?

A1.Anything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs provided it is
technologically accessible,economically feasible and culturally acceptable are known as
resources.For e.g air,water,schools,hospitals.
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Q2.How are the resources classified?(DELETED)
A2.Resources can be classified in the following ways:-
1)On the basis of origin:
a)Biotic resources.:these are obtained from biosphere and have life eg human beings,flora and
fauna,fisheries etc.
b)Abiotic resources: resources that comprise of non-living things eg rocks,metals etc.
2)On the basis of exhaustibility:
a)Renewable resources: the resources which can be used again and again and can be produced
by chemical,physical or mechanical processes for eg solar and wind energy,forest,water etc.
b)Non-renewable resources: the resources which take millions of year in their formatiion and
occur over a very long geological time eg minerals and fossil fuels.Some may be recycled like
metals and some cannot be like fossil fuels which get exhausted after their use.
3)On the basis of ownership:
a)Individual Resources: These are owned privately by individuals ,land,wells,ponds owned by
farmers,plots, houses and other property owned by urban people.
b)Community owned Resources:These are the resources which are accessible to all the
members of the community.For eg grazing grounds,burial grounds,village pond,public
parks ,playgrounds etc.
c)National Resources: The resources that belong to the nation or state.The country has legal
powers to Facquire even private property for public good.The Urban Development Authority
has the power to take land to build roads,canals,dams railways etc.All minerals,water
resources,forests,wildlife land within the political boundaries and oceanic areas upto 12
nautical miles(22.2 km) from the coast termed as territorial water and resources therein
belong to the nation.
d)International Resources: The resources that do not belong to any individual country.The
oceanic resources beyond 200km of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean and no
individual country can utilise these without the decision of international institutions.There are
international institutions to regulate such resources.
4)On the basis of the status of development:
a)Potential Resources:Resources which are found in a region, but have not been utilized .For
example,the Western parts of India(Rajasthan and Gujarat) have enormous potential for the
development of wind and solar energy,but so far they have not been developed properly.
b)Developed Resources:Resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity have
been determined for utilisation.The development of resources depend on technology and level
of their possibility.e.g Jharkhand,Odisha,W Bengal are rich in iron ore and coal.
c)Stock: Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs but
humans do not have the appropriate technology to utilize them.For eg-water is a compound of
two inflammable gases,hydrogen and oxygen which can be used as a rich source of energy.But
due to lack of technical ‘know-how’and practical knowledge, it can be considered as stock.
d)Reserves: These are part of those stocks of resources which can be put into use with the help
of existing technology but their use has not been started.For eg.River water can be used for
generating hydroelectricity power but presently,it is being utilized only to a limited extent.Thus
the water in the dams,forests etc as a reserve which can be used in future.
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Q3.Highlight any three problems associated with the indiscriminate use of resources by the
human beings.
A3.The problems are:
a)Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
b)Accumlation of resources in few hands which has divided the society into rich and poor.
c)Birth of ecological problems like global warming,ozone layer depletion,environmental
pollution and land degredation.
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Q4.What is sustainable development?
A4.It means development should take place without damaging the environment and
development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generations
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Q5.Write a short note on Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit 1992.
A5.1)It was held in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil .More than 100 heads od states
participated in it.
2)Objective-it was convened for addressing the problems of environmental protection and
socio-economic development at the global level.
3)Achievements-a)The participants signed the Declaration on Global climatic changes and
Biological Diversity.
4)It endorsed the Global Forest Principles.
5)It adopted Agenda 21 for achieving sustainable development in the 21 st century.
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Q6.What is Agenda 21?
A6.Its aim is to achieve global sustainable development in the 21st century.It is an agenda to
combat environmental damage ,poverty,disease through global cooperation on common
interest,mutual needs and shared responsibilities.One major objective is that every local
government should draw its own Agenda 21.
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Q7.What is resource planning and its three stages?
A7.Resource planning is the technique or skill of proper utilization of resources.It consists of
three stages as given below:-
1)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.
2)Evaluation in terms of availability------evolving a planning structure with appropriate
technology and skill to implement the resourse development plans.
3)Planning for exploitation-----matching the resource development plans with overall national
development plans.
Q8.Why is resource planning important in country like India?
A8.Resource planning is important in country like India because:-
a)Some regions are rich in certain types of resources but deficient in some other resources.
b)Some regions are self-sufficient in terms of the availability of resources while others have
acute shortage of some important resources.For eg the state of Rajasthan has abundant solar
and wind energy but lacks in water resources.Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water
resources but lacks in infrastructural development.The state of Rajasthan and Gujrat are very
rich in solar and wind energy but lacks in water resources.So,this requires balanced resource
planning at the national state,regional and local levels.
Q9.What do you mean by resources conservation ?Why it is necessary ?What are the views of
Gandhiji about resource conservation?
A9.Resource conservation is the planned and judicious use of resources .It is necessary because
indiscriminate use and over utilization may lead to socio-economic and environmental
problems.
Gandhiji said that “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody’s greed” .He
considered the greedy and selfish individuals and exploitative nature of modern technology as
the root cause for resource depletion at the global level. He was against mass production and
favoured production by the masses.
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Q10Give some methods of resource conservation.
A10.Some methods of resource conservation:
1)Efforts to generate the renewable resources.
2)Avoid wasteful use of available resources ,specially non-renewable resources.
3)Strict enforcement of government laws regarding conservation of resources.
4)Development of alternative substitutes for non-renewable resources
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Q11.Describe the relief features of India and their importance.
A11.The relief features of India are as follows:
1) 43% of land is plain, useful for agriculture, industry and suitable for transport.
2) 30% of the total land area is mountainous which ensures perennial flow of some rivers,
provide facilities for tourism and ecological aspects.
3) 27% area is plateau and provides minerals ,fossil fuels and forests.
Q12.Explain the land utilization in India.
A 12.Land resources are used for the following purposes:
a)Forests
b)Land not available for cultivation:-it includes barren and waste land and area under non-
agricultural use ie buildings, roads ,factories etc.
c)Other uncultivated land(excluding fallow land):-it includes permanent pastures and grazing
land,tree crops and culturable waste land. Culturable waste land is land which can be c
cultivated provided there is enough capital and technology .It is left uncultivated for more than
5 agricultural years.
d)Fallow land:-This is the land which is left uncultivated for a few years so that land can regain
its fertility .It includes current fallow which is left uncultivated or 1 or less than 1 agricultural
year other than current fallow which is left uncultivated for the past 1-5 agricultural years.
e)Net sown area:-It is around 43.41% and includes the area sown more than once in a year plus
net sown area is known as Gross Cropped Area.
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Q12.What is the % of India’s wasteland?(DELETED)
A12.a)Forest degraded area---28%
b)Water degraded area---------56%
c)Saline and alkaline area-------6%
d)Wind eroded area-------------10%
Q13. What is land degradation? Explain any 4 human activities responsible for land
degradation.
A13.Continous use of land for a long period of time without taking appropriate measures to
conserve and manage it ,leads to land degradation .Degraded land is unfit for cultivation. The 4
human activities are:-
1)Mining-mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is complete leaving deep scars and
traces of over burdening.eg in states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh ,Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.
2)Overgrazing-In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra overgrazing
is the main reason for land degradation.
3)Over irrigation-In the states of Punjab ,Haryana ,Western Uttar Pradesh over irrigation is
responsible .
4)The mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry generate dust in the
atmosphere, which settles down on the land.
5)Industrial effluents as waste causes land and water pollution .
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Q14.What are the ways to solve the problem of land degradation?
A14.There are many ways to solve the problem of land degradation:-
1)Afforestation -plantation of trees should be encouraged.
2)Planting of shelter belts of plants, control on overgrazing ,stabilization of sand dunes by
growing thorny bushes.
3)Proper management of waste lands, control of mining activities, proper discharge and
disposal of industrial effluents.
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Q15.What is soil? Explain the factors responsible for the formation of the soil.
A15.Soil is the most important renewable natural resource and is the uppermost layer of the
earth’s crust ,loose and fragmented good for growing plants.
The factors responsible for the formation of the soil are:-
1)Parent rock-disintegrate and decompose under the process of weathering and erosion.
2)Climate-determines the rate of weathering and the type of vegetation.
3)Plants and animals-a thick and dense vegetation means more animals who help to break
down the rocks under their hoofs .Plants and animals add to the humus content of the soil.
4)Topography-It decides the accumulation of soils. The plains will have a thicker layer of the soil
,whereas the mountain slopes will have a thin layer.
5)Time –also plays a vital role as it adds maturity to the soil.
6)Chemical and organic changes too play their role in the formation of the soil.
Q16.Classify the soil on the basis of colour ,age ,texture and fertility.
A16.1) Colour -red, black,yellow, grey.
2)Age- bangar (old alluvium) and khadar (new alluvial)
3)Texture-sandy ,loamy ,clayey.
4)Fertility- Uravara (fertile) and usara (infertile)
Q17.Describe the major types of soil.
A17.The major types of soil are:-
1)Alluvial soil:-
a)Found mostly in the Northern plains ,and eastern coastal plains ,particularly in the deltas of
Mahanadi, Krishna ,Godavari and Kaveri.
b)Formed by the deposits brought down by the three river systems-Indus, Ganga and
Brahmaputra.
c)The soils are coarse in the upper regions, mostly consists sand ,silt and clay. Such soils are
more common in Piedmont plains such as Chos, Terais and Duars.
d)According to their age, alluvial soils can be old alluvial soil (Bangar)or new alluvial soil
(Khadar).
Bhangar-is clayey,dark in colour, infertile ,coarse and contains kankar.
Khadar - is sandy and light in colour,fertile and fine grained.
e)Mostly the alluvial soil contains potash, phosphoric acid and lime which is good for the
growth of sugar –cane ,paddy ,wheat, cereal and pulses.
f)In drier areas it is more alkaline, can be made productive after treatment and irrigation.

2)Black soil:-
a)Found mainly in Maharashtra,Saurashtra,MP,Malwa and Chhattisgarh.
b)Formed due to weathering of lava rocks.This soil is black in colour and also known as Regur
soil.
c)It is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.
d)Characterstics-1)made up of clayey material 2)can hold moisture 3)rich in soil nutrients such
as calcium,carbonate,magnesium,potash and lime.3)poor in phospheric contents 4)develops
cracks when dry 5)becomes sticky when wet.
3)Red and yellow soil:-
a)Found mostly in in eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau,Orissa,Chhattisgarh.
b)Formed due to the weathering of crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall.
c)Characterstics-1)Red in colour due to the presence of iron and looks yellow in a hydrated
form.
2)highly porous,fine grained and fertile.
c)Main crops-wheat,rice,cotton pulses,sugar-cane.
4)Laterite soil:-
a)Found mainly in Kerala,Karnataka,Tamil nadu,hilly areas of Orissa and Assam.
b)Formed due to the leaching in areas of heavy rainfall and high temperature.
c)Characterstics:-1)low humus content because most of the micro-organisms get destroyed
due to high temperature 2)red colour due to the presence of sandstones 3)suitable for
cultivation with fertilizers.
d)Main crops:-cashew nuts,coffee,tea.
5)Arid soil:-
a)Found mostly in Rajasthan,arid areas of Punjab and Haryana
b)Characterstics:-1)range from red to brown in colour 2)generally sandy and saline in nature
3)lack humus and moisture 4)due to high temperature,evaporation is faster 4)in some areas
common salt content is high common salt is obtained by evaporating the water.5)lack organic
matter.
4)After proper irrigation these soil can be used for cultivation.Crops can be grown with
irrigation-wheat,bajra,melon, grams

Q18.What is soil erosion? Describe the causes of soil erosion.

A18.The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as the soil
erosion.
Causes of soil erosion:-
1)Human activities such as deforestation,overgrazing,construction mining and other activities.
2)Natural forces like wind,glacier and water also causes erosion.
3)The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes gullies.The land becomes unfit
for cultivation and is called bad land.In Chambal basin it is called ravines.
4)Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope,and the top soil is washed
away.This is known as sheet erosion.
5)Soil erosion is also caused due to defective methods of farming ,ploughing in a wrong way.
Q19.Describe measures of soil conservation.
A19.The measures for soil conservation are:-
1)Steps can be cut on slopes making terraces. Terrace cultivation restricts erosion.eg Western
and central Himalayas
2)Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water .This is called contour
ploughing.
3)Large fields can be divided into strips .Strips of grass are left to grow between the crops.This
is called strip cropping.This breaks up the force of the wind.
4)Planting lines of trees to create shelter belts.

Q20.Why has the land under forest not increased much since 1960-61 ?
A20.The land under forest has changed a little from 18.11% in 1960-1961 to 22.57% in 2002-
03.It is still far lower than the desired 33% of the geographical area as it was outlined in the
National Forest Policy(1952).Land under forest has not increased due to various
factors ,namely, agricultural expansion, large scale development projects or river valley
projects, grazing and fuel collection.
Q21.How have technical and economic development led to more consumption of resources ?
A21.Technical and economic development has led to more consumption of respources.
1)Higher level of technological development needs more and more resources for production
activities.
2)Gandhiji placed the exploitative nature of modern technology as the root cause for resource
depletion at the global level.He was against mass production and wanted to replace it with the
production by the masses.
3)It was the higher level of technological development of the colonial countries that was
responsible for the over-exploitation of resources of the colonies.
.4)Similarly ,economic development depends on more consumption of resources.For example ,
water resources are being exploited to expand irrigated areas and dry season agriculture.
5)Number of manufacturing units in the field of consumer durables ,capital goods,luxury
items,like cosmetics that tend to consume more and more resources as raw materials have
been set up.
6)Information technology ,has brought boom in human choices,interests, hobbies, life styles
and status .
Q22.What role has technology laid in making the resources more valuable ?
A22.The technology has played a vital role in making the reources more valuable.The term
technology includes the scientific knowledge and the technical skill of the people .Every
resource has some utility for man but its utilization depends upon the availability of appropriate
technology.Hence,the scientific knowledge and technical skill of the people are needed for the
transformation of resources into valuable goods.The developing countries lack capital and
technology that is why they remain backward thought they might have rich natural resources.
Q23.How do we differentiate between net sown area and gross sown area ?
A23.The total land area on which crops are raised during a particular year represents the net
sown area.
Gross sown area is different in the sense that if more than one seasonal crops are raised over a
piece of area during the year, the area is counted twice.The extent of increase in gross sown
area over net sown area is the result of the availibility of means of irrigation in the
area.Intensive cultivation leads to increase in gross area even though the total available land
may remain the same.
Q24 .What are the effects of land degradation ?
A24.The effects are :
1)Overgrazing leads to the desertification .
2)Increased pollution ,environmental degradation.
3)Loss of biodiversity due to the decline in the environmental quality.
4)loss in agriculture affecting the actual productivity.
5)Leads to soil erosion,depletion of soil nutrients.
Q25.Explain the land use pattern in India.
A25.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.
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