Resources and Development Class 10 Social Science Notes and Questions

Land is a resource of utmost importance due to following reasons:
It’s a fixed factor of production and supports all economic activities. It also supports natural vegetation wildlife and various other resources.

Resources can be categorized on the   basis of origin: Abiotic resources comprise non-living things (e.g., land, water, air and minerals). Biotic resources are obtained from the biosphere. These have life such as humans, flora and fauna.

Renewable : Replenished by nature e.g., crops and plants.
Non-renewable : Which get exhausted after years of use. e.g., crude oil.

Coal/Minerals

Potential resources

Agenda 21 was adopted at first International earth Summit held in 1992 at Rio de Janerio Brazil The two principles are as follows  :
(a) To combat environment damage, poverty disease through global cooperation on (common interests, mutual needs and shared responsibilities)
(b)  Every local government should draw its own local Agenda 21.

Renewable Resources : Resources  that can be replenished after a short period of time are called Renewable Resources. For example – agricultural crops, wind energy, water, forest, wildlife, etc.

Non-renewable Resources :  Resources which takes million years of time to replenish are called non-renewable resources. For example – fossil fuels. We must remember that some resources like metals are recyclable.

Renewable Resources : Resources  that can be replenished after a short period of time are called Renewable Resources. For example – agricultural crops, wind energy, water, forest, wildlife, etc.

Non-renewable Resources :  Resources which takes million years of time to replenish are called non-renewable resources. For example – fossil fuels. We must remember that some resources like metals are recyclable.

(i)  Stock  :

(a)   They are found in the environment around us. (b)  They are not accessed due to the lack of technology.

(c) Example : Water is a compound of two inflammable gases – hydrogen and oxygen, hydrogen can be used as a rich sources of energy. But we do not have the required technical know- how to use them for this purpose.

(ii)   Potential resources  :

(a)   They are found in a region.

(b)  They have not been utilized or developed.

(c) Example : Rajasthan and Gujarat have enormous potential for the development of wind and solar energy but they are yet to be developed fully for various reasons.

(i)  Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country.
(ii)  Evolving a planned structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans.
(iii) Match the resource development plans with overall national development plans.

(i)  Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country.
(ii)  Evolving a planned structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans.
(iii) Match the resource development plans with overall national development plans.

Resource planning is a technique or skill for proper utilization of resources.
(a)  As resources are limited, their planning is necessary so that we can use them properly and also save them for our future generation.
(b)  Resources are not only limited but they are distributed over different parts of the country.
(c) Resource planning is also essential for production of resources and to protect them from over exploitation.

Classification based on ownership:

Individual: Resources owned by individuals are called Individual Resources. For example – land owned by farmers, house, etc.

Community : Resources owned by community or society are called Community Owned Resources. For example – Graveyard, grazing land, ponds, burial grounds, park, etc.

National Resources : Resources owned by individual nations are called National Resources. The nation has legal powers, to acquire even private property for public good. All the minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife land in the political boundaries and in oceanic area up to 12 nautical miles from the coast   (called territorial waters)  and the resources in them belongs to the country. For example – Government land, Roads, canals, railway, etc.

International   Resources  :   Resources  regulated by International bodies are called International Resources. For example – Ocean and sea beyond 200 nautical  miles   of the  Exclusive Economic Zone is called open sea or ocean. No individual country can utilize these resources without the permission of International bodies.

Resources are vital for human survival and it was believed that resources are free gift of nature. The indiscriminate  use of resources  led to  the following problems.

(i)  To satisfy the greed of few individuals, depletion of resources has continued.

(ii)  Due to the accumulation of resources in few hand, the society gets divided into two segments, i.e., rich and poor.

(iii) Indiscriminate use of resources has led to ecological crises, e.g., ozone layers depletion, land degradation, global warming and environmental pollution.

Over  irrigation  in  Punjab  causes  the lowering in fertility rate of the soil because of water logging leading to increased salinity and alkalinity of the soil.

Grinding and crushing of limestone for the cement industry generate a large amount of dust. As the dust settles down on the soil it reduces the process of infiltration of water into the soil.

Jharkhand,  Chhattisgarh,  Madhya  Pradesh and Odisha.

(i)  We live on land, we perform our economic activities on land and we use it in different ways.
(ii)  It   supports   natural   vegetation,   wildlife, human  life, economic  activities, transports  and communication system.
(iii) It is an asset of a finite magnitude.

(i)  Current fallow land : Left uncultivated for one or less than one agricultural year.

(ii)  Other than current fallow : Left uncultivated for past 1 to 5 agricultural years.

(iii) Culturable waste lands : Left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years.

(i)  The parent rock is the first factor which provides the basic material for the formation of soil.

(ii) Climate breaks the parent rock into small pieces.

(iii) Vegetation  :   Plant  and  animal  organisms help in the weathering of the rocks slowly but continuously.

(iv) Various forces of nature such as change in temperature, actions of running  water, wind and glaciers, activities of decomposers, etc, contribute to the formation of soil.

(v)  Chemical and organic changes take place in the soil.

(i)  Afforestation and proper management of grazing can help in controlling of land degradation.
(ii) Planting  of  shelter  belts,  control  on overgrazing, stabilisation of sand dune by growing thorny bushes, are important ways.
(iii) Proper management of wastelands, control of mixing activities, proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment can reduce land and water degradation in industrial and sub-urban areas. These are some of the methods to check land degradation.

(i)  Main Cause : Large scale overgrazing has caused severe land degradation.

Measures to check include:
(a) Afforestation and proper management of grazing.
(b)  Planting of shelter belts of plants.
(c)   Stabilization of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes.
(d)  Control on overgrazing.

22. The important factors responsible for land degradation in India are as follows  :

(a)   Deforestation  :   By  an  estimate  over  one million hectares of forest is lost every year in India. (b)  Erosion: Loss of vegetation cover makes land more susceptible to erosion. Wind and water have left vast tracts of land barren. Water erodes top soil to an extent of around 12,000 million tons per annum.

(c)   Over-Irrigation  :  Successive cropping  and over-irrigation, leads to    water-logging and consequent salinization and alkalization. This situation mainly arises due to poor drainage.

(d)  Floods and Droughts: Drought is both man- made and environment-induced. Man has played a key role in the creation of drought-prone areas by over-exploitation of natural resources like forests, degradation  by grazing, excessive withdrawal of ground water, silting of tanks, rivers, etc.

Floods, on the other hand, are caused by heavy rains in a very short period. Each situation could have been altered had there been good vegetation cover. Vegetation helps in reducing run-off, increasing infiltration and reducing soil erosion.

(e)   Over-grazing: India  has  the  worlds largest cattle population, but not enough pasture land. This has led to serious problems as animals have encroached into forest lands and even agricultural lands. Land degradation due to overgrazing leads to desert like conditions. (f )   Pollution  -Pollution  of  land  is  caused  by disposal of solid waste, refuse from domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors. Another major source of land pollution is the creation of derelict land due to mining particularly due to surface and underground mining activities.

(i)  Soil is considered as a resource because it is used to satisfy our needs. (ii)  It is the most important renewable natural resource
(iii) It is the medium of plant growth.
(iv) It supports different types of living organisms on the earth.

We can contribute to minimize pollution by :
(i)   Planting more plants and trees.
(ii)  Using  non-conventional  sources  of  energy such as solar and wind energy.
(iii) Using public transport instead of personal car motor bike etc.
(iv) Saving water and electricity.

Contour farming, the practice of tilling sloped land along lines of consistent elevation in order to conserve rainwater and to reduce soil losses from surface erosion.

Alluvial soil

Black soil

The soil type in western Rajasthan is arid soil, following are its characteristics :

(i)   it consists very high kankar nodules due to increasing calcium content downwards .

(ii)  it is brown – yellow in its colour.

(iii) it is difficult to cultivate anything on this type of soil , but cultivation can be encouraged after proper irrigation as in western Rajasthan.

Yes, there are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but are deficient in some other resources.

(i)   Jharkhand,     Chhattisgarh     and     Madhya

Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits.

(ii)  Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water resources but lacks in infrastructural development. (iii) Rajasthan is endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks in water resources.

(iv) Ladakh has rich cultural heritage but lacks in water resources and infrastructure.

Red soils

(i)  Red soil is formed due to weathering of igneous and metamorphic rocks.

(ii)  It is highly porous and less fertile but where it is deep it is fertile.

(iii) It is less crystalline. (iv) It is red in colour due to presence of iron in it. They occur in parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand

Laterite soil

(i)   It is formed by the leaching process in the heavy rainfall areas of tropical India.

(ii)  It is less fertile, only grass grows on it in abundance.

(iii) It is crystalline. (iv) It is found in hills of the Deccan, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Assam and Meghalaya.

(i) Arid soils range from red to brown in colour.

(ii)  They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature.

(iii) Due  to  dry  climate,  high  temperature, evaporation is faster and the soil lacks humus and moisture.

(iv) The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by

Kankar because of the increasing calcium content.

(i)  Regur soil is also known as black soil.

(ii)  It is ideal for growing cotton, so it is also known as “Black cotton soil”.

(iii) It is made up of extremely fine clayey material. (iv) It is rich in soil nutrients, calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.

(v)  It develops cracks in hot weather.

(vi) It can hold moisture and is sticky when wet.

.  (i)  Climatic conditions  along with  present rock material are important factors for making of black soil. The parent rock is volcanic rocks.

(ii)  It is ideal for growing cotton because of the following reasons :

(a)   It has capacity to hold moisture.

(b)  It is rich in soil nutrients such as calcium carbonate and potash.

(c)   Deep cracks in the soil help in aeration.

Alluvial Soil : It is soil formed by the sediments deposited by river water.

(i)    Two  human  activities which  are responsible   for   the   process   of   soil   erosion are deforestation and overgrazing mining, construction, etc.

(ii)  Types of soil Erosion :
(a)   Gullies : The running water cuts through the clayey soil and makes deep channels/gullies. The unfit land caused by gullies is called bad land or ravines.
(b)  Sheet erosion : Water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. The top soil is washed away. This process is known as sheet erosion.

(i) Arid soils range from red to brown in colour.

(ii)  Sandy in texture and saline in nature.

(iii) Evaporation from this soil is faster, soil lacks humus and moisture.

(iv) Soil occupied by Kankar.

(v)  Kankar restricts the infiltration of water.

Alluvial soil is found in the entire northern plain it is the most widely spread soil of India.

Main features of alluvial soil :

(i)   It is formed by the deposition  of materials brought down by the himalayan rivers.

(ii)  It is highly fertile.

(iii) It consists of various proportion  of sand, silt and clay.

(iv) It is rich in potash, phosphoric acid and lime but deficient in organic matter.

Methods of soil conservation :

(i)   Ploughing   along   the   contour   lines   can decrease the speed of water flow down the slopes.

(ii)  Step or terrace cultivation on slopes restricts erosion. Western and central Himalayas have well- developed terrace farming areas.

(iii) Strip cropping :  Here 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.

(iv) Shelter belt  plantation  :  Trees  are  planted in rows. These shelter belts have led to the stabilisation of sand dunes and in stabilising the desert in western India.