Chapter 1
RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT
Q1: Why is resource planning is important is country like India?
Ans: Resource Planning in India is Important because
(a) There is enormous diversity in the availability of resources.
(b) There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but are
deficient in some other resources.
Q2: Mention the most satisfactory feature of land use pattern of our
country?
Ans: The most satisfactory feature of land use pattern of our country is the
Barren and Waste land has reduced from 12.01% (1960-61) to 6.29%
(2002-03).
Q3: Which is the most unsatisfactory feature of our land use pattern?
Ans: Land under forests has changed marginally. Forest area is 22.54%
which is far lower than the desired 33% as outlined in the National Forest
Policy(1952).
Q4: Why has the land under forest not increased much since1960-61?
Ans: Large scale development projects, industrialization and urbanization
as well as agricultural expansion have widely reduced forest cover in
various parts of our country. Though afforestation and social forestry
measures have been adopted, it has lead to only a marginal increase in
the forest area.
Q5: Distinguish between Bangar and Khadar soil?
Ans:
Bangar Soil
Khadar Soil
1. It is old alluvial soil.
1. It is an newer alluvial soil.
2. It is found away from the rivers
and has higher concentration of
kankar nodules.
2. It is found close to rivers ans has
more fine particles than bangar.
3. It is less Fertile
3. It is more Fertile.
Q6:DEFINE THE FOLLOWING TERMS:
A)RESOURCE-everything available in our environment which can be used
to satisfy our needs ,provided ,it is technologically
accessible,economically feasible and culturally acceptable can be
termed as resource.
b)soil erosion-the denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing
down is described as soil erosion.
c)badland-the running water,cuts through the clayey soils and makes
deep channels as gullies .the land thus becomes unfit for cultivation ,is
known as badland.
Q7:EXPLAIN THE HUMAN ACTIVITIES RESPONSIBLE FOR LAND DEGRADATION
IN INDIA?
ans some human activities which contributed significantly in land
degradation in our country are following:
1.MINING AND DEFORESTRATION:mining sites are abondoned after
excavation work is complete leaving deep scars and traces of over
burdening.in states like jharkhand ,chattisgarh,madhya pradesh and
orissa deforestration due to mining have caused severe land degradation.
2.OVERGRAZING:due to overgrazing grasses are uprooted and land is
exposed to soil erosion .in states like gujarat ,rajasthan ,madhya pradesh
and maharashtra overgrazing is one of the main reasons for land
degradation .
3.OVER IRRIGATION: it is responsible for land degradation due to water
logging leading to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil .in the states
of punjab ,haryana and western uttar pradesh over irrigation is the main
cause of land degradation.
4:MINERAL PROCESSING:the mineral proccessing like grinding of
limestone for cement industry generate huge quantity of dust in the
atmosphere.it retards the process of infiltration of water into the soil after it
settles down on the land .
5.INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS :industrial effluents as waste .which are
discharged without treatment,have become a major source of land and
water pollution in many parts of the country.
Q8:WHAT ARE THE MEASURES TAKEN TO CONTROL LAND DEGRADATION IN
DIFFERENT REGIONS OF INDIA?
ans.measures taken to control land degradation in different regions of
india are following:
1.AFFORESTRATION AND PROPER MANAGEMENT OF GRAZING-it can help
to some extent .it helps in binding the soil and reduces the chances of
occurence of.
2.PLANTING OF SHELTER BELTS OF PLANTS ,CONTROL ON OVER GRAZING.
,STABILISATION OF SAND DUNES BY GROWING THORNY BUHES are the
suitable measures taken in arid and semi arid regions.they help in binding
the soil with the roots and also reduce the speed of wind.
3.PROPER MANAGEMENT OF WASTE LANDS,CONTROL OF MINING
ACTIVITIES ,PROPER DISCHARGE AND DISPOSAL INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS AND
WASTES after treatment can reduce land and water degradation in
industrial and sub urban areas.
Q9:HOW HAVE TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LED TO MORE
CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES?
ans.human beings interact with nature through technology and create
institutions to accelerate their economic development.in this process they
often consume resources more in quantity which cause depletion of
resources .as more technological development occurs ,there is increased
need of input and utilization of resources .for example, more factories
providing employment to more people is a necessity .for the factory ,land
and metal (for machines)are used. For this mining of minerals increases
causing land degradation and depletion of mineral resources of a certain
area. As technical or technological development is closely linked to
economic development we can say that both of these have led to more
consumption of resources.
Q10:SUGGEST METHODS TO CONTROL SOIL EROSION.
ans methods are as follows:
1.CONTOUR PLOUGHING-ploughing in a wrong way i.e. and down the
slope form channels for the quick flow of water leading to soil erosion
,whereas ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of
water down the slopes .this helps in controlling soil erosion.
2. TERRACE CULTIVATION-steps can be cut on the slopes making
terraces .terrace farming restricts the speed of running water and controls
soil erosion .western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace
farming.
3. STRIP CROPPING-large fields can be divided into strips .strips of grass
are left to grow between the crops .this breaks up the force of the wind.
This method is known as strip cropping.
4.SHELTER BELT-planting lines of trees to create shelter also helps in
breaking up of the force of the wind .rows of such trees are called shelter
belts .these shelter belts have contributed significantly to the stabilization
of sand dunes and in stabilizing the deserty in western india.
Q11:EXPLAIN BLACK SOIL UNDER THE FOLLOWING HEADSA)FORMATION B)DISTRIBUTION C)NUTRIENTS D)OTHER CHARACTERISTICS
ans.the black soil is black in colour and is also known as regur soil.
a) formation-it is believed that climatic conditions along with the parent
rock material are the important factors for the formation of black soil. It is
made of lava flows.
b)distribution-this type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (basalt )region
spread over northwest Deccan plateau .it covers the plateaus of
Maharashtra , saurashtra, malwa , Madhya pradesh ,Chhattisgarh and
extend in the southeast direction along the Godavari and the Krishna
valleys.
c) nutrients-it is rich in soil nutrients such as calcium carbonate,
magnesium, potash and lime. It is generally poor in phosphoric contents.
d)other characteristics-black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also
known as black cotton soil.
It is made up of extremely fine clayey material and is well known for its
capacity to hold water. It develops deep cracks during hot weather which
helps in the proper aeration of the soil .it is sticky when wet and difficult to
work on unless tilled immediately after the first shower or during the pre
monsoon period.
Q12:GIVE A DETAILED ACCOUNT OF THE LAND USE PATTERN IN INDIA.
ans .the total area of india is 3.28 million sq.km.according to the land use
data ,records are available only for about 93%of the total area .the land is
used for following purposes:
1. Net sown area-43.41%area of the total reporting area is in this
category. The pattern of NSA varies greatly one state to another .it is over
80%of the total area in punjab and haryana and less than 10%in
arunachal pradesh ,Mizoram , Manipur and Andaman and nicobar
islands.
2. Fallow land-fallow other than the current fallow land is 3.82%of the total
reported area. These lands are cultivated once or twice in about two to
three years as either these are of poor quality or the cost of cultivation of
such land is very high. If these are included in the NSA then the %of NSA in
india comes to about 54%of the total reporting area.
3. Permanent pasture-the land under permanent pasture has decreased in
last few decades .it is quite difficult for the farmers to feed huge cattle
.population on this pasture land and it has affected the production of milk
and other animal products
4. Forest area -forest area in our country is far lower than the desired
33%of the geographical area, as it was outlined in the national forest
policy (1952).in our country 22.57%of the total reported area is under
forest. It was considered essential to have one third of the total area under
forests for the maintenance of the ecological balance. The livelihood of
the millions of people who live on the fringes of these forests depends
upon it.
5. Land not available for cultivation-
a. barren waste land- it includes rocky, arid and desert areas. Land under
this category reduced from 12.01% to 6.29% which is the most satisfactory
feature of our land use pattern.
b. land put to other non-agricultural uses- it includes settlements, roads,
railways, industry etc. it increased from 4.95% to 7.29% in last few decades
due to increasing population, industrialization and urbanization.
Q13:what are the problems associated with indiscriminate use of
resources? how can it be solved?
Ans.resources are vital for human survival as well as for maintaining the quality of life. It
was believed that resources are the free gifts of nature . as a result, human beings used
them indiscriminately and this has led to the following major problems:
a. Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
b. Accumulation of resources in few hands, which in turn, divided the society into
rich and poor.
c. Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such
as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land
degradation.
d. SOLUTION: an equitable distribution of resources has become essential for a
sustained quality of life and global peace. Resource planning is essential for
sustainable existence of all forms of life.
Q14: Distinguish between biotic and abiotic resources.
BIOTIC RESOURCES
These are obtained from biosphere i.e.
living resources.
Some of these resources are renewable.
Eg: flora and fauna
ABIOTIC RESOURCES
These are obtained from the non-living
resources.
They are non- renewable but some are
recycled.
Eg: rocks, minerals, air and water
Q: Distinguish between renewable and non-renewable resources.
RENEWABLE RESOURCES
NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Resources which can be renewed or
reproduced by physical, chemical and
mechanical processes
They get renewed over a short period of
time.
They are unlimited and are not exhausted.
These are further divided into continuous or
flow and biological.
Eg: water, wind , forest, wildlife, solar
energy.
Resources which cannot be renewed or
reproduced.
They occur over a very long geological
period (millions of years).
They are limited in their availability and are
exhausted
These are divided into recyclable and
non-recyclable.
Eg: minerals and fossil fuels.
Q: distinguish between individual resources and national resources.
INDIVIDUAL RESOURCES
These are owned by individuals privately
Many farmers own land which is allotted to
the government against the payment of
revenue.
In villages these are the people with land
ownership but many are landless. In urban
areas people own plots, houses, ponds,
water wells etc.
NATIONAL RESOURCES
These resources belong to the nation
The country has legal powers to acquire
even private property for public good. At
times roads and canals are constructed by
acquiring the private property.
Urban Development Authorities get
empowered by the govt. to acquire land.
all minerals , water, forests, wildlife, land
within the political boundaries and
territorial water belong to the nation.
Q: Name four broad types of soils found in India. Mention the two characteristics of a
soil which are most important and widespread.
A: four major types of soil found in India are
a. Alluvial soil
b. Black soil
c. Red and yellow soil
d. Laterite soil
Alluvial soil is the most important and widespread soil in India.
Two characteristics of alluvial soil:
a. This soil is formed by deposition of materials brought down by rivers
b. It is highly fertile. It is rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
Q: state the diverse relief features of India and mention one significance of each.
A: India has diverse relief features namely mountains, plateaus and plains.
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PLAINS: about 43% of the land is plains which is agriculturally and industrially
productive.
MOUNTAINS: mountains account for 30% of the total area and are the source of
many perennial rivers, promote tourism and development of horticulture.
PLATEAUS: about 27% of the land area of the country are the plateaus which are
the storehouse of minerals, forest and fossil fuels. They form the backbone of the
country’s economy in promoting the development of industries.