K.S.N.

SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

GEOGRAPHY- CHAPTER.2

LAND, SOIL AND WATER RESOURCES.

I. Answer the following:

Q.1 What are the factors that influence land use?

A.1 Land use is determined by physical factors such as topography, soil, climate, the
presence of minerals, the availability of water, and human factors such as population density,
the availability of capital, and technology.

Q.2 What is land degradation?

A.2 Land degradation means a decline in the fertility or productivity of cultivated land
resulting from unscientific or unsuitable use.

Q.3 What is soil?

A.3 Soil refers to the loose covering of fine rock particles on the surface of the Earth. It also
comprises decaying organic matter and minerals.

Q.4 What is a water cycle?

A.4 Water evaporates from the surface of the earth, rises into the atmosphere, cools and
condenses to form clouds, and falls again to the surface as precipitation. The water falling on
land collects in rivers and lakes, soil, and porous layers of rock, and much of it flows back
into the oceans, from where it will once more evaporate. This continuous cycling of water
between the Earth and the atmosphere is called the water cycle

Q.5 What is rainwater harvesting?

A.5 Rainwater harvesting refers to the collection and storage of rainwater that runs off from
roof tops, parks, roads and open grounds, using a system of tanks and percolation pits, and
making this water suitable for daily use. In the process, water is conserved.

II. Answer the questions in detail:

Q.1 Explain in detail the different ways in which land can be classified.

A.1 Land can be classified on the basis of:

● Relief, as plateaus, plains, and mountains

● Soil fertility, as fertile land and barren land

● Development, as rural and urban land.

● Ownership, as private (belonging to an individual), and community owned.

● Land use, as arable land (suitable for crop production), pasture (used for grazing animals),
forests (land which is covered in trees and plants), fallow, (land that can be cultivated but is
left unused for a season), cultivable waste (land that can be cultivated but has been left fallow
for more than five years), and non-agricultural land (land used for purposes other than
agriculture).

Q.2 Draw the diagram of soil profile and describe the different layers of soil.

A.2 Soil is made up of different layers or horizons. Each of these layers has different
properties. The vertical arrangement of these layers in a section of soil is called soil profile.
There are five main layers.

Draw the diagram given on page-11 neatly with the description given!

Q.3 Arrange the different types of soil found in India on the basis of their fertility, from the
least to the most fertile and describe them briefly.

A.3 Given below is a description of soils in India, arranged in order from least fertile to most
fertile:

● Arid soil is found in dry regions and occurs in dark shades of reddish brown to pastel
brown. It has very low moisture and humus content.

● Laterite soil is formed as a result of intense leaching and is found in places that experience
heavy rainfall. It is not fertile as the fertile top layer is washed away and requires fertilisers to
be made cultivable. The redness of red soil is caused by the presence of iron oxides. This soil
is fertile in the lowlands but less fertile in the uplands.

● Peaty and forest soil is found in places with dense vegetation. This soil is rich in humus as
the organic matter that accumulates on the forest floor decomposes to provide the same.

● Black soil, known as regur or cotton soil, is found in and around lava plateaus and is
extremely fertile and clayey. It swells.

● Alluvial soil is a rich and fertile soil formed by the depositional action of rivers. Weathered
material from the higher reaches of rivers gets carried and deposited along the banks of the
rivers in the plains. The soil is rich in minerals and good for growing most types of crops.

Q.4 Water scarcity is a problem that we have created. Justify this statement on the basis of
what you have learnt in this chapter. when wet and contracts when dry, resulting in the
formation of deep cracks in summer. This soil is highly suitable for growing cotton.
 A.4 ● A major reason for this has been the Increased industrial activity has led to an increase in
the levels of water pollution. As a result, a large part of existing water resources

● Increased industrial activity has led to an increase in the levels of water pollution. As a
result, a large part of existing water resources is unfit for human use.

● Climate change has resulted in variations in seasonal and annual rainfall, causing several
water bodies to dry up.

● India has abundant water resources, but many places still face scarcity due to the uneven
distribution of water resources, the variation in rainfall and the seasonal nature of some of
our major rivers. Over-exploitation of water resources is another reason for water scarcity in
India, as there has been a sharp increase in the number of tube wells and wells being dug and
used, leading to a fall in ground water levels across the country.

III. Distinguish Between:

Private land community land.

Private land is land owned by private Community land is shared by a community or

individuals or concerns group of people for purposes such as fodder
collection, cultivation of medicinal plants, and
so on.

Mulching Contour bunding

Mulching is a form of soil conservation in Contour bunding, stone or earthen

which the bare land between plants is covered embankments are built across the slope of hills
with an organic substance like straw to trap in line with the contours to capture and hold
moisture. rainfall.

Surface water Ground water

Surface water is freshwater found in water Groundwater is water found below the surface
bodies such as rivers and ponds found on the of the earth—it is the water we get from wells,
surface of earth, springs and geysers.

Perennial rivers Seasonal rivers

Perennial rivers are those that have water seasonal rivers depend on rains for their water
throughout the year, such as the snow-fed river and often run dry when there is no rain, such as
Ganga; the river Krishna.

Arable land Fallow land Cultivable waste

Arable land is land that can Fallow land is land that can Cultivable waste is land that
be used for the cultivation of be used for crop cultivation can be cultivated but has
crops but has been left uncultivated been left uncultivated for
for a season. more than five years.

VI. Give Reasons:

1. Humans occupy just a fraction of the surface area of the Earth.

Landforms only 30% of the earth’s surface. The rest is water. Only a fraction of
this land is fit for human habitation as the remaining consists of sparsely
populated deserts, forests, and mountains.

2. We should conserve soil.

Soil formation is a very slow process and can take up to hundreds or thousands of
years. Soil is a vital resource, necessary for the cultivation of plants which are a
vital source of food for living beings and for providing shelter to animals. Soil
must therefore be conserved.

3. Cotton is grown in Maharashtra.

Most of Maharashtra lies in the Deccan Plateau, which is characterised by the

deep and clayey black soil found in and around lava plateaus. This fertile and
clayey soil is ideal for the cultivation of cotton, making Maharashtra one of the
main producers of cotton in India.

4. Fresh water is a critical resource.

Freshwater comprises only about 3% of all water on the Earth. Out of this, only
1% is available readily for human consumption as the rest is contained in glaciers
and ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctica.

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