OUR RESOURCES
1. What are natural resources?
Ans. Natural resources are the gifts of nature, found useful for making the life of human beings comfortable and worth living. These resources include natural vegetation, soil, water, air, minerals and even rocks. They are the back bone of the economy of a nation. These are the bases of economic strength and prosperity of its people. These can be of two main types – biotic and abiotic.
a) Biotic resources : these are living resources like forests and forest products, agriculture, animals, birds, marine life etc.
b) Abiotic resources: These are material resources or non living things. Eg. Minerals like iron-ore, copper, land resources, soils etc.
2) Give four examples of human made resources?
Ans. Human resources are essential for development of natural resources. Resources created by humans are called human made resources. Engineering, technology, machines, buildings, monuments, paintings are some of the human made resources. Besides these, humans having knowledge and skills, health and several other qualities, are also resources.
3) Give three examples of renewable resources.
Ans. Resources which are capable of being renewed are called renewable resources. Eg., water, forests, soils, wind etc. This renewability is possible only under certain conditions.
2. Distinguish between
a) natural resources and cultural resources.
Natural Cultural
1) They are gifts of nature and include Resources created by man are cultural
human beings also resources.
2) They provide raw materials for the They are the finished products
for the cultural resources
3) Examples are air, water, land, forests, Examples are roads, canals, paintings,
minerals. Monuments.
4) They are grouped into two types Man made resources are mainly
biotic like forests and animals abiotic.
b) Renewable and non renewable resources
Renewable Non renewable
1. Resources which are capable of being Those resources which once used get
used again and again are called exhausted are called non-renewable
renewable resources resources.
2. They are available in plenty They are limited
3. They are replenishable They are non-replenishable
4. They take less time to replenish They take more time to replenish
5. They are eco-friendly They are not eco-friendly
eg. Water, forest, animals eg. Fossil fuels, nuclear power.
c) Reusable and non reusable resources
Reusable Non reusable
1) Those resources which can be reused are Those resources which cannot
called reusable resources be reused are called non-reusa-
ble resources
2) They become reusable after the process no recycling is involved.
of recycling
3) Eg. Plastic, paper, land, water. Eg. Coal, petroleum, minerals.
4) Resources development is an important Once used, they are exhausted
exercise for reusable resources and resource development is of
no use.
3. Why is conservation of resources necessary?
Ans. Conservation of resources involves management of resources by humans. It aims at sustainable use of resources of all types of benefit the present generation and to meet the needs of future generation. Thus along with preservation and protection, conservation stresses utilization of resources. We have to adopt several measures for their conservation.
The following steps should be taken in this regard:
1. To augment and maintain resources in healthy condition so as to stop their degradation.
2. To make judicious and planned use of resources.
3. To make proper provisions to meet the needs of the future generation.
4. To seek involvement of the community, specially in the case of forests, land, water and air so as to keep the resources in renewable and healthy state.
Conservation of resources goes back to ancient times. Great rulers like Buddha and Ashoka and many other had emphasized conservation at every stage. Even today community involvement has greatly contributed to environment movement in land. Some important examples are the Bishnoi movement, Chipko movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan and Silent Valley Kerala.
4. What is resource planning? Give its importance.
Ans. As the resources are limited and unevenly distributed all over the country, their planning is essential. Resource planning is a technique or skill of proper utilization of resources. Resource planning comprises of three stages:
1) SURVEY: This is done by preparing an inventory of resources. An expert body uses various methods and techniques to identify and locate resources in certain geographic areas.
2) EVALUATION: These are based on the type of resources likely to exist in an area or region. Evaluation is done with respect to need and availability of technology as well as economy.
3) EXPLOITATION: Resources, after survey and evaluation, have to be used and reused. These steps are taken to exploit the resources within a certain geographic area. Resources are not exploited all at once. Planning also involves to correlate resources to their future needs.
Importance of resource planning:
1) Protection of resources: The greatest need for proper planning of resources arise from conservation of resources or their protection and preservation for future use. Because of huge population growth and environment degradation, conservation has become very necessary.
2) Stabilising prices: Increased demand for resources and their short supply tends to raise the prices. The fear of exhaustion leads to undesirable practices like hoarding and black marketing which also push up the prices. Therefore, it is necessary to have a co-ordinated resource policy to keep the prices in check.
3) Problem of wastes and pollution: The exploitation of resources leads to accumulation of huge wastes in our environment. Moreover, many resources are also used wastefully either because of inefficient technology or wasteful consumption patterns. The inefficient technology is a characteristic feature of developing countries and wasteful consumption patterns prevail in advanced countries. Both contribute to pollution of our environment in many different ways. For example, mining of coals raises huge dust in our environment.
Disposal of wastes, associated with agriculture, domestic and industrial, is also today a great problem. While planning for resources, steps should be taken in advance before its utilization.
4) Accidents: Many accidents happen while mining, transporting and using resources. These accidents not only cause loss of life and property but also cause great damage to out environment. Oil leakage in oil tankers in oceans cause great damage to marine life. Transporting coal in open railway wagons, in India is threatening our environment.
5. HOW IS SOIL FORMED?
Ans. Soil is defined as a loose material resting on top of the foundation rock which makes up the crust of the earth. It can also be defined as the upper layer of the earth’s crust which is loose and fragmented and is useful for the growth of the plants. The formation of the soil involves several processes and factors. Chief among these include weathering, climate, decomposition or organic matter, topography or relief and time.
a) Weathering of parent material: Weathering is the process by which rocks are broken down while remaining at one place. The physical and chemical processes take part in weathering with the help of climate. The disintegrated rock is the basic material for formation of soil. This basic rock material determines the mineral content of the soil.
b) Climate: The elements of climate, especially temperature and precipitation, help in disintegration of the rock. Weathering cannot take place in absence of climatic conditions. Climate, as a factor in soil formation plays a major role in lending texture to the soil. The texture is the size of the unconsolidated particles of the soil. It gives physical structure to the soil.
c) Decomposition: Decomposition is the process by which decayed material ( vegetation and remains of animals) are changed into humus. It is basically responsible for determining the type of soil and its color.
d) Relief: The slope of the land and its general features, basically, determine the thickness of the soil between the surface and bed rock.
e) Time: It is the most essential as well as the final factor in soil formation. It is the time factor during which physical, chemical and biological processes operate in soil. A very long period of time is involved in operation of these processes.
All the above processes are invariably involved in soil formation. The soil formation would still be incomplete without the work of insects and worms in the soil. Their work consists of mixing the minerals and organic matter in the soil. They do it, both, through physical or mechanical means and speeding up chemical reactions. Even then, soil formation and its fertility depends on presence of water and air in soil. Even for just 2cm thick soil anything between 100 to 500 years maybe involved. Since the above factors differ from one location to another, there are many different types of soils. However, all soils will consist of several different layers each having different characteristics.
6. How is soil erosion caused?
Ans Today there are many types of land uses which cause its degradation and ultimately result in soil erosion and environmental degradation. Some important causes of land degradation (soil erosion) are.
1. Deforestation. Cutting of trees in forests and clearing these lands for agriculture, roads, industries and human habitation is one of the chief cause of land degradation.
2. land fills. Rapid population growth and industrialization have caused accumulation of huge wastes on land. Many of these wastes are radio active or non degradable. When deposited underground these wastes cause damage to soil and land surface.
3. Farming practices. Soil erosion, on account of bad farming practices, grazing, over use of agricultural land, water run off, wind erosion, use of toxic chemicals and fertilizers in agriculture has also turned vast areas of land into dust bowls.
4. Over exploitation of ground water resources. Depletion of ground water resources due to over exploitation has led to many areas being converted into deserts and soil erosion. This poses the danger of another dust bowl tragedy. The worst affected areas are Delhi, Punjab, and Haryana.
The soil erosion makes land unfit for cultivation and turns large tracts of land into bad lands. Such bad lands in the Chambal basin are called ravines. Gully erosion creates such areas of bad lands. They cannot be put to use until measures for controlling soil erosion are taken.
TYPES OF SOIL EROSION.
Depending on the quantity of soil erosion it can be classified into two broad categories
1) normal soil erosion where the rate of soil erosion is slower than the pedogenic process
2) catastrophic soil erosion where the rate of soil erosion is faster than the rate of soil formation.
In India, water is one of the main agents of soil erosion and it is classified into three types.
1) The uniform removal of soil from the sloping surface is called sheet or surface erosion.
2) the formation of finger shaped grooves is called rill erosion.
3) the enlargement of rills leads to gully formation and gully erosion which converts the land into ravines and bad lands. Eg,. The Chhos of northern Haryana and Punjab and the ravines of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh.
Wind Erosion is mainly in the arid regions of Rajasthan where the sand storms blow away the top layer of the soil that is formed and also moves the sand dunes from one place to another. Thousands of hectares of fertile land is being swallowed by the advancing desert through wind erosion.
The tidal waves too cause erosion to the soil on the sea coast. The rushing waves crash along the coast and break the cliff rock. Severe erosion of beaches along the Kerala coast is evidence by the uprooting of coconut trees. The eastern and western coast of the country is affected by this type of erosion.
EFFECTS OF SOIL EROSION.
a) Loss of fertile top soil from the upper surface leading to gradual loss of soil fertility and agricultural productivity.
b) Loss of mineral nutrients from soil through flooding and leaching.
c) Lowering of underground water table and decrease in the percentage of soil moisture.
d) Drying of vegetation and extension of arid lands.
e) Increase in the frequency of droughts and floods
f) Silting of river and canal beds.
g) Recurrence of land slides.
h) Adverse effect on economic prosperity and cultural development.
i) Increase in crimes and anti social activities through the formation of natural hideouts for criminal and dacoits.
SOIL CONSERVATION.
a) Construction of small dams across the rivers and the tributaries of the rivers in upper reaches to control floods and soil erosion.
b) Cementing the floor and sides of the canals to avoid seepage of canal water and control the problem of water logging and rise in underground water table.
c) Solving the problem of waterlogging by the extension of surface and vertical drainage.
d) Formation of wind break and shelter belts in arid regions.
e) Reclamation of alkaline soil through scientific methods i.e. use of gypsum etc.
f) Increasing use of organic manures along with chemical fertilizers particularly in vegetation deficient areas.
g) Popularising the use of cow dung and vegetation for soil manuring.
h) Conversion of human waste and city garbage into manures.
i) Conserving soil fertility through scientific crop rotation and fallowing.
j) Filling of gullies and forming terraces along the sloppy surface.
k) Levelling of ravines and planting of soil binding trees in these areas.
l) Converting shifting cultivation into modern sedentary farming.
m) Promoting afforestation and curbing excessive grazing in arid and hilly areas.
n) Adopting new techniques of sustainable agriculture.
7. What is land degradation?
Ans. Soil erosion is a serious problem in hills, arid and semi arid areas. Some plains have also been affected by soil erosion. Besides natural causes, there are some human activities also, which cause degradation of land.
For about 130 million hectares of degraded land data about factors of degradation is given below:
Forest degraded area : 28%
Water eroded : 56%
Wind eroded : 10%
Salinity and Alkalinity : 6%
Total : 100%
CAUSES OF LAND DEGRADATION:
In addition to causes of soil erosion mentioned earlier, following human actions turn vast areas of land into waste lands.
1) Mining: Mining chiefly surface mining leads to degradation. Mining leads to abandonment of site or settlements, roads, factories which all lead to depletion of vegetation and consequently land degradation.
2) Mineral Processing: like grinding of limestone, quarrying and crushing of stones raise dust in the atmosphere leading to environment degradation. The dust settles on vegetation and causes it harm.
3) Saline and Alkaline Soils: These are found in dry and marshy areas. These are locally known as Thur, Reh and Kallar. The accumulation of salts make these infertile. Many industries as well as surface run off cause salinity and alkalinity in marshy areas.
4) Industrial affluents and wastes: Effluents in water bodies or air also cause land pollution near cities and industrial areas.
8. Why are resources necessary for human beings?
Ans. The resources are necessary for human beings for the following reasons.
1. satisfaction of needs: Human beings use resources as raw materials for making clothes, food, detergents for washing clothes, meeting their other needs and comfort. Energy resources like coal, gas, petroleum, wood are needed for generation of power or electricity or drive vehicles, building houses, factories etc.
2. Economic development: Economic development of a nation to a large extent depends on resources, their management and availability.
3. Employment : Extraction, development and utilization of resources create productive employment. This helps in raising the standard of living of a particular place.
4. Standard of living: Utilisation of fuel resources like petroleum and gas today is the index of progress of human society. For example per capita consumption of fuel resources expressed in terms of kilograms of coal consumption is 10,000 in USA and 6,000 Kg in western European countries and only between 250-300 kg in developing countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan etc.
Resources have actually helped the humans to create their own world of living. The resources help human beings to build houses, roads, villages, machines etc.
8. Describe briefly the distribution of alluvial and black soils in India.
Ans. Black soils : Black soils have been derived from the Deccan traps, and these occur mainly in Maharastra, western Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. In these areas the black soils are generally deep. Black soils are found in parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. In these areas, the black soils have been derived from metamorphic rocks and are generally shallow in depth. The black soils are also known as regur soils. In valleys, they are fertile, but in uplands, they are poor in fertility. These soils have the ability to retain moisture and become sticky when wet. On drying, these develop large and deep cracks. These soils are known for the cultivation of cotton.
Alluvial soils: The sediments i.e., sand, silt and mud brought down by rivers during floods and deposited on the temporarily submerged land are known as alluvial soils. These are the most productive soils of the estate. They are confined mainly to the northern plains coastal strips and Chattisgarh basin. These soils are generally of two types – Khadar and Bhangar. These cover about 40% area of India. These soils are also common in the Eastern coastal plains. These soils have been deposited by the river in river valleys of Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna and other deltas.
9. How does the industry cause land degradation?
Ans. The industry causes land degradation through following acts:
1. Mining : Mining, chiefly open cast mining or surface mining leads to degradation. It leads to abandonement of settlements, roads, factories which all lead to depletion of vegetation and consequently land degradation.
2. Mineral processing: Mineral processing like grinding of lime stone, quarrying and crushing of stones raises dust in atmosphere leading to environment degradation.
3. Land fills: Industries dump many non-degradable, toxic or radioactive wastes in land fills. These wastes cause greater damage to soil.
4. Effluents: Industries release many effluents in water bodies or in atmosphere. These effluents cause pollution of various types. Hence land is degraded.
5. Deforestation: Industries need land for setting up factories, townships, roads, building etc. These ultimately lead to pressure of forest land and hence deforestation. About 28% of total degraded land belongs to this category.
SHORT NOTES:
Land conservation measures: The methods of controlling soil erosion also help in controlling land degradation. Therefore, in addition to these methods some other measures.
a) Afforestation: In some areas, the original vegetation cover has been removed such as in Shivalik hills. In such areas afforestation and reafforestation is needed to hold the soil. Advance of deserts can be checked by planting trees along the margins of deserts.
b) Controlled grazing: The number of cattle to be grazed on slopes should be according to the carrying capacity of the pastures.
c) Terraced agriculture: Slopes must be cut into series of terraces for cultivation so as to slow down the flow of rain water.
d) Check dams: Check dams are built in the upper course of rivers to control floods and check soil erosion.
e) Contour ploughing: Contour ploughing, terracing and bunding is done to check soil wash on slopes. Ploughing is done at right angles to the hill slopes.
f) Moisture conservation: and control of weeds also help in checking land degradation.
g) Proper disposal of wastes: and industrial affluents can also lead to improvements in quality of land.
10. Describe soil profile
Ans: The face of a soil or the way it looks when you cut a section of it, it is called soil profile. Soil is made up of layer called soil horizons. They vary in thickness. Soil scientists label horizons with a special code to identify them. The main codes used to describe soil horizons are O, A, B, C, E & F horizons.
O Horizon: It is the top layer of soil and is made up of organic matter. The organic matter contains leaves, logs, twigs and remains of animals. O horizons are common in forested areas.
A Horizon: It is the first mineral horizon of the soil and is known as top soil. This horizon is ideal for agricultural purposes.
B Horizon: It is primarily composed of parent material. It is also termed as subsoil. This horizon is rich in organic matter, iron alluminium and other soil constitutents.
C Horizon: It is similar to the original parent material of the soil.
E Horizon: It is named after the word eluvial, meaning that clay, iron, aluminium have been leached from out of it. This horizon is commonly found in forests where conferous trees grow.
R Horizon: It represents a layer of rock that is sometimes found under the soil profile.
