Chapter – 1

Resource and Development

1. Resource – Meaning and Features
a) Resource – Definition: Everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our
needs, and is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable.
b) Resources are not free gifts of nature; they become resources only when humans use technology
and institutions to make them useful.
c) Human beings are the most important resource because they transform natural materials into usable
resources and create social and economic institutions.
d) There is an interdependent relationship between nature, technology and institutions in the process of
resource creation.

2. Classification of Resources
A. On the Basis of Origin
 Biotic resources
 Derived from the biosphere; living resources.
 Examples: plants, animals, humans.
 Abiotic resources
 Non-living things.
 Examples: rocks, minerals, metals, water, air.
B. On the Basis of Exhaustibility
 Renewable resources (Replenishable)
 Can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or biological processes.
 Examples: solar energy, wind energy, water, forests, wildlife.
 Non-renewable resources
 Take millions of years to form; cannot be replenished quickly.
 Examples: coal, petroleum, most minerals.
C. On the Basis of Ownership
 Individual resources
 Owned privately by individuals.
 Examples: plots, houses, privately owned fields.
 Community-owned resources
 Accessible to all members of the community.
 Examples: village ponds, public parks, playgrounds.
 National resources
 All resources within political boundaries, territorial waters and airspace of a country.
 Government has legal power over them (including private property for public good).
 International resources
 Located beyond Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), generally beyond 200 km from coastline.
 No single country can own; regulated by international institutions.
D. On the Basis of Status of Development
 Potential resources
 Present in a region but not fully developed or utilised.
 Example: wind and solar energy in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
 Developed resources
 Surveyed and quantified; quality and quantity known and currently in use.
 Stock
 Materials in the environment which could satisfy human needs but we lack appropriate
technology to use them.
 Reserves
  Part of stock that can be used with existing technology but is kept for future use.

3. Development of Resources – Need and Problems

 Resources are vital for human survival and maintaining quality of life.
 Earlier, resources were treated as free gifts of nature, leading to their indiscriminate use.
Major Problems due to Overuse:
1. Depletion of resources to satisfy the greed of a few individuals.
2. Accumulation of resources in a few hands, creating haves and have-nots (rich and poor).
3. Environmental problems: global warming, ozone depletion, pollution and land degradation.
 Equitable distribution of resources is essential for sustained quality of life and global peace.
 If current trends of resource depletion continue, the future of our planet is in danger.

4. Sustainable Development and Agenda 21

 Sustainable development: Development that takes place without damaging the environment and
does not compromise the needs of future generations.
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992
 Held in June 1992 at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; attended by more than 100 heads of states.
 Aim: to address global environmental protection and socio-economic development.
 Outcomes:
 Declaration on Global Climatic Change and Biological Diversity.
 Endorsement of global Forest Principles.
 Adoption of Agenda 21.
Agenda 21
 A global action plan for sustainable development adopted at UNCED (1992).
 Aims to combat environmental damage, poverty and disease through global cooperation.
 Major objective: every local government should prepare its own local Agenda 21.

5. Resource Planning in India

 Resource planning: Strategy for judicious use of resources.
 Very important in India due to regional variations in resource availability.
Regional Examples:
 Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh – rich in minerals and coal deposits.
 Arunachal Pradesh – abundant water resources but poor infrastructural development.
 Rajasthan – rich in solar and wind energy but lacks water resources.
 Ladakh – rich cultural heritage but lacks water, infrastructure and minerals; isolated.
Steps in Resource Planning
1. Identification and inventory of resources – through surveying, mapping, qualitative and quantitative
estimation.
2. Evolving a planning structure – with appropriate technology, skilled personnel and institutions.
3. Matching resource development plans with overall national development plans.
 Availability of resources alone does not guarantee development; technology, quality of human
resources and institutional set-up also matter.
 History of colonisation shows resource-rich areas were exploited by technologically advanced
colonial powers.

6. Conservation of Resources
 Irrational consumption and over-utilisation of resources cause social, economic and environmental
problems.
 Resource conservation at all levels (individual, community, national, global) is essential.
Gandhian View
 Gandhiji said: “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody’s greed.”
 He criticised greedy individuals and the exploitative nature of modern technology as the root cause
of resource depletion.
 He opposed mass production and supported production by the masses.
Important Contributions
 Club of Rome (1968): systematically advocated resource conservation.
 Schumacher’s book Small is Beautiful (1974): re-presented Gandhian ideas.
 Brundtland Commission Report (1987), Our Common Future: introduced and popularised
“sustainable development”.
 Earth Summit, Rio de Janeiro (1992): major global step for environment and resource conservation.

7. Land Resources
 Land is a vital natural resource; we live on it and perform all economic activities on it.
 It supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, transport and communication.
 Land is finite, so it must be used carefully and planned scientifically.
Relief Features and Land
India’s land is divided into:
 Plains – about 43%
 Provide facilities for agriculture and industry.
 Mountains – about 30%
 Ensure perennial rivers, support tourism, and ecological balance.
 Plateaus – about 27%
 Rich in minerals, fossil fuels, and forests.

8. Land Utilisation and Land Use Pattern

Categories of Land Use
1. Forests.
2. Land not available for cultivation
 Barren and waste land
 Land put to non-agricultural uses (buildings, roads, factories, etc.).
3. Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land)
 Permanent pastures and grazing land
 Land under miscellaneous tree crops and groves (not in net sown area)
 Culturable waste land (left uncultivated for >5 years).
4. Fallow lands
 Current fallow (uncultivated for one or less than one year)
 Other than current fallow (uncultivated for 1–5 years).
5. Net Sown Area (NSA)
 Area on which crops are sown and harvested.
 Gross Cropped Area = NSA + area sown more than once in a year.
Land Use Pattern in India
 Total geographical area: 3.28 million sq km.
 Land use data available for about 93% area (north-east states and some parts of J&K not fully
surveyed).
 Net sown area varies: more than 80% in Punjab and Haryana, less than 10% in Arunachal Pradesh,
Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
 Forest area is less than the desired 33% recommended by National Forest Policy (1952).
 Permanent pasture area has decreased; pressure on limited grazing land has increased.
  “Other than current fallow” lands are often poor quality or costly to cultivate; including them, net
sown area would be about 54% of reporting area.

9. Land Degradation and Conservation Measures

 About 95% of our basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) come from land.
 Human activities have accelerated land degradation beyond natural processes.
Causes of Land Degradation
 Deforestation.
 Overgrazing.
 Mining and quarrying – leave scars and overburden; severe in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha.
 Over-irrigation – causes waterlogging, salinity and alkalinity; common in Punjab, Haryana, western
Uttar Pradesh.
 Dust from mineral processing (limestone, calcite, soapstone) reduces infiltration.
 Industrial effluents and wastes cause land and water pollution.
Conservation Measures
 Afforestation and proper grazing management.
 Planting shelter belts, stabilising sand dunes with thorny bushes in arid areas.
 Proper management and reclamation of waste lands.
 Controlled mining activities and scientific methods.
 Treating and safely disposing industrial effluents and wastes.

10. Soil as a Resource

 Soil is the most important natural resource and medium of plant growth.
 It supports different types of living organisms on Earth.
 Soil is a living system; it takes millions of years to form a few centimetres of soil.
Factors of Soil Formation
 Relief.
 Parent rock or bedrock.
 Climate.
 Vegetation and other forms of life.
 Time.
 Soil formation involves physical (temperature change, wind, water, glaciers), chemical and organic
processes (decomposers).
 Soil has organic (humus) and inorganic components.

11. Major Soil Types in India

India’s varied relief, landforms, climate and vegetation have led to different soil types.
11.1 Alluvial Soil
 Most widely spread and important soil.
 Entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil.
 Deposited by Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems.
 Also found in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat and in eastern coastal plains (deltas of Mahanadi,
Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri).
Characteristics:
 Mixture of sand, silt and clay.
 Coarser in upper reaches and piedmont plains (Duars, Chos, Terai).
 Based on age:
 Bangar – old alluvium, coarse, more kankar, less fertile.
  Khadar – new alluvium, fine particles, more fertile.
Fertility and Crops:
 Very fertile due to adequate potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
 Ideal for paddy, wheat, sugarcane, and pulses.
 Regions of alluvial soil are intensively cultivated and densely populated.
11.2 Black Soil (Regur/Black Cotton Soil)
 Black in colour, also called regur or black cotton soil.
 Ideal for cotton cultivation.
 Formed from weathering of Deccan Trap (basalt) rocks.
Distribution:
 Plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and along Godavari
and Krishna valleys.
Characteristics:
 Very fine (clayey), high moisture-holding capacity.
 Rich in calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime; poor in phosphoric acid.
 Develop deep cracks in summer, aiding aeration.
 Sticky when wet; difficult to plough unless tilled immediately after first showers.
11.3 Red and Yellow Soils
 Develop on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in eastern and southern Deccan.
 Also found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern Ganga plain and Western Ghats piedmont.
 Reddish colour due to diffusion of iron; appears yellow when hydrated.
11.4 Laterite Soil
 Name from Latin “later” meaning brick.
 Develops in tropical and subtropical climates with alternate wet and dry seasons.
 Result of intense leaching due to heavy rain.
Characteristics and Distribution:
 Deep to very deep, acidic (pH < 6.0), generally nutrient-poor.
 Found in southern states, Western Ghats of Maharashtra, Odisha, parts of West Bengal and North-
East.
 Humus-rich under deciduous and evergreen forests; humus-poor under sparse vegetation.
 Prone to erosion and degradation on slopes.
Crops:
 After conservation measures, suitable for tea and coffee in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu.
 Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala suitable for cashew.
11.5 Arid Soils
 Range from red to brown; sandy and saline.
 Low humus and moisture due to high evaporation.
 In some places, high salt content allows extraction of common salt by evaporation.
 Lower horizons have kankar due to calcium; restricts water infiltration.
 With proper irrigation, they can be made cultivable (e.g. western Rajasthan).
11.6 Forest and Mountain Soils
 Found in hilly and mountainous regions with forest cover.
 Texture: loamy and silty in valley sides; coarse on upper slopes.
 In snow-covered areas of Himalayas, soils are denuded, acidic and low in humus.
 Soils on lower valley terraces and alluvial fans are fertile.

12. Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

 Soil erosion: Denudation and removal of the top soil.
 Soil formation and erosion are continuous processes; human activities disturb the balance.
Causes of Soil Erosion
 Deforestation.
 Overgrazing.
 Construction and mining.
 Faulty farming methods (ploughing up and down slopes).
Types of Erosion
 Gully erosion
 Running water cuts deep channels (gullies) in clayey soil.
 Land becomes bad land; in Chambal basin, called ravines.
 Sheet erosion
 Water flows as a sheet, washing away thin layers of top soil over large areas.
 Wind erosion
 Wind blows away loose soil from flat or sloping land, especially in arid regions.
Soil Conservation Methods
 Contour ploughing – ploughing along contour lines to slow water run-off.
 Terrace farming – cutting steps on slopes to reduce soil erosion; common in Western and Central
Himalayas.
 Strip cropping – dividing fields into strips; strips of grass left between crops to reduce wind force.
 Shelter belts – planting rows of trees (windbreaks) to check wind erosion and stabilise sand dunes;
used in western India.