Introduction to the Topic
In our daily lives, we use a variety of objects, from the pen you use to write to the electricity that powers your home. Have you ever wondered where these things come from? In the world of Geography, we call these Resources. This chapter, 'Resources and Development' from the Class X NCERT Geography textbook, is fundamental for understanding how humans interact with nature, how we utilize its gifts, and why it is crucial to manage these gifts responsibly for the future.
A resource is not just anything found in nature. According to the NCERT definition, 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 a 'Resource'. This means that for a substance to become a resource, we must have the technology to \textract it, it must be profitable to use, and society must accept its usage. This chapter explores the classification of these resources, the problems arising from their indiscriminate use, and the vital role of resource planning and soil conservation in India.
Key Concepts Explained
1. The Classification of Resources
To study resources effectively, geographers classify them into several categories based on their origin, exhaustibility, ownership, and status of development.
- On the Basis of Origin:
- Biotic Resources: These are obtained from the biosphere and have life. Examples include human beings, flora (plants), fauna (animals), fisheries, and livestock.
- Abiotic Resources: These are composed of non-living things. Examples include rocks, minerals, and metals.
- On the Basis of Exhaustibility:
- Renewable Resources: These can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical, or mechanical processes. Examples are solar and wind energy, water, and forests.
- Non-Renewable Resources: These occur over a very long geological time (millions of years). Once used, they cannot be replaced easily. Examples include fossil fuels like coal and petroleum.
- On the Basis of Ownership:
- Individual Resources: Owned privately by individuals (e.g., houses, plots, plantations).
- Community Owned Resources: Accessible to all members of a community (e.g., village ponds, public parks).
- National Resources: Technically, all resources within a country belong to the nation. The government has legal powers to acquire private property for public good. All minerals, water resources, forests, and land within political boundaries and oceanic areas up to 12 nautical miles from the coast are national property.
- International Resources: Regulated by international institutions. For example, the oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to the open ocean and no country can use them without international concurrence.
- On the Basis of the Status of Development:
- Potential Resources: Resources found in a region but not yet utilized (e.g., wind and solar potential in Rajasthan and Gujarat).
- Developed Resources: Resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity determined for utilization.
- Stock: Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs but humans do not have the appropriate technology to access them (e.g., hydrogen from water as a fuel).
- Reserves: A subset of 'stock' that can be put into use with existing technology but their use has not been started yet; they are kept for meeting future requirements.
- Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country (surveying, mapping, and estimation).
- Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill, and institutional set-up.
- Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans.
- Alluvial Soil: The most widespread and important soil. Deposited by the Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra rivers. It is very fertile and contains potash, phosphoric acid, and lime. It is ideal for sugarcane, paddy, and wheat.
- Black Soil: Also known as Regur soil. It is ideal for growing cotton. It is found in the Deccan trap (Basalt) region. It is made of \textremely fine clayey material and is known for its capacity to hold moisture.
- Red and Yellow Soils: Develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall. It looks red due to diffusion of iron and yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.
- Laterite Soil: Develops under tropical and subtropical climates with alternate wet and dry seasons. It is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rain. It is useful for growing tea, coffee, and cashew nuts.
- Arid Soil: Ranges from red to brown in color. Generally sandy in texture and saline in nature. Due to the dry climate and high temperature, evaporation is faster, and the soil lacks humus and moisture.
- Forest Soil: Found in hilly and mountainous areas. The texture varies according to the mountain environment. They are loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse-grained in upper slopes.
- Contour Ploughing: Ploughing along contour lines to decelerate water flow.
- Terrace Cultivation: Steps cut out on slopes to restrict erosion (common in Western and Central Himalayas).
- Strip Cropping: Large fields are divided into strips; strips of grass are left to grow between crops to break the force of the wind.
- Shelter Belts: Planting lines of trees to create shelter, which helps in the stabilization of sand dunes.
- Resource Definition: Anything that is technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable.
- Sustainable Development: Growing today without harming the future; popularized by the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
- Resource Planning: Essential for India due to regional imbalances in resource availability.
- Land Degradation: Caused by mining, overgrazing, and over-irrigation; requires urgent conservation.
- Soil Diversity: India has diverse soils (Alluvial, Black, Red, Laterite, Arid, Forest) based on topography and climate.
- Conservation: Techniques like terrace farming and shelter belts are vital to prevent soil erosion.
2. Development of Resources and Sustainable Development
Humans have used resources indiscriminately, leading to major problems like the depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of a few, accumulation of resources in few hands (dividing society into haves and have-nots), and global ecological crises like global warming and ozone layer depletion.
To counter this, we need Sustainable Development. This means development should take place without damaging the environment, and development in the present should not compromise the needs of future generations. This concept was highlighted at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992, where over 100 heads of states met to address environmental protection. They signed the Declaration on Global Climatic Change and Biological Diversity and adopted Agenda 21, a blueprint to achieve global sustainable development by combating environmental damage, poverty, and disease through global cooperation.
3. Resource Planning in India
Planning is the widely accepted strategy for the judicious use of resources. In a country like India, which has enormous diversity in the availability of resources, planning is essential. For example, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are rich in minerals but lack institutional development, while Arunachal Pradesh has plenty of water but lacks infrastructure.
Resource Planning in India involves three steps:
4. Land Resources and Land Use in India
Land is a natural resource of utmost importance as it supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, and economic activities. In India, about 43% of the land is plain (good for agriculture/industry), 30% is mountainous (ensuring perennial flow of rivers and tourism), and 27% is plateau (rich in minerals and fossil fuels).
Land Degradation: Continuous use of land over a long period without taking appropriate measures to conserve and manage it has resulted in land degradation. Causes include deforestation, overgrazing, mining (leaving deep scars in states like Odisha and MP), and over-irrigation (causing waterlogging and salinity in Punjab and Haryana).
5. Soil as a Resource: Classification of Soils in India
Soil is the most important renewable natural resource. It is the medium of plant growth and supports different types of living organisms. Factors like relief, parent rock, climate, and vegetation play a role in soil formation.
6. Soil Erosion and Conservation
The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil erosion. Human activities like deforestation, over-grazing, and construction, along with natural forces like wind and water, cause erosion.
Methods of Soil Conservation:
