RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT CLASS 10 (NCERT) NOTES

RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT CLASS 10 (NCERT) NOTES

1. 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’.

2. The process of transformation of things available in our environment involves an interactive relationship between 

• Nature, 
• Technology and 
• Institutions. 

3. Human beings interact with nature through: 

• Technology and 
• Create institutions 

To accelerate their economic development.

4. Do you think that resources are free gifts of nature as is assumed by many? 

• They are not. 

5. Resources are a function of human activities. 

6. Human beings themselves are essential components of resources. 

7. They transform material available in our environment into resources and use them. 

• These resources can be classified in the following ways–

(a) On the basis of origin – biotic and abiotic

(b) On the basis of exhaustibility – renewable and non-renewable

(c) On the basis of ownership – individual,

community, national and international

(d) On the basis of status of development –

potential, developed stock and reserves.

DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES

1. Resources are vital for: 

• Human survival as well as for 
• Maintaining the quality of life. 

2. It was believed that resources are free gifts of nature. 

3. As a result, human beings used them indiscriminately and this has led to the following major problems.

• Depletion of resources: For satisfying the greed of a few individuals.

• Accumulation of resources: In few hands, which, in turn, divided the society into two segments i.e. haves and have nots or rich and poor.

• Indiscriminate exploitation of resources: has led to global ecological crises such as, global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.

What’s need to be done:

1. An equitable distribution of resources has become essential for: 

• A sustained quality of life and 
• Global peace. 

2. If the present trend of resource depletion by a few individuals and countries continues:

• the future of our planet is in danger.

3. Therefore, resource planning is essential for sustainable existence of all forms of life. 

4. Sustainable existence is a component of sustainable development.

Sustainable development

1. Sustainable economic development means: 

• ‘development should take place without damaging the environment, and 

• Development in the present should not compromise with the needs of the future generations.’

Earth Summit:

Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992

1. In June 1992, more than 100 heads of states met in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, for the first International Earth Summit. 

2. The Summit was convened for addressing urgent problems of:  

• Environmental protection and 
• Socio- economic development at the global level. 

3. The assembled leaders signed the Declaration on Global Climatic Change and Biological Diversity. 

4. The Rio Convention endorsed the global Forest Principles and adopted Agenda 21 for achieving Sustainable Development in the 21st century.

Agenda 21

1. It is the declaration signed by world leaders in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED): 

• which took place at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

2. It aims at achieving global sustainable development. 

3. It is an agenda to: 

• Combat environmental damage, 
• Poverty, 
• Disease through global co-operation on common interests, 
• Mutual needs and shared responsibilities. 

4. One major objective of Agenda 21 is that every local government should draw its own local Agenda 21.

RESOURCE PLANNING:

1. Planning is the widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources. 

2. It has importance in a country like India:

• which has enormous diversity in the availability of resources. 

3. There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but are deficient in some other resources. 

4. There are some regions which can be considered self sufficient in terms of: 

The availability of resources and 

Ex: The states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits. 

5. There are some regions which have acute shortage of some vital resources. For example, 

• Arunachal Pradesh has abundance of water resources but lacks in infrastructural development. 

• The state of Rajasthan is very well endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks in water resources. 

• The cold desert of Ladakh is relatively isolated from the rest of the country. 
• It has very rich cultural heritage but it is deficient in water, infrastructure and some vital minerals. 

6. This calls for balanced resource planning at Resource Planning in India.

Resource Planning in India.

1. Resource planning is a complex process which involves : (i) identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country ,This involves: 

• Surveying, 
• Mapping and 
• Qualitative and Quantitative estimation and 
• Measurement of the Resources. 

(ii) Evolving a planning structure endowed with: 

• Appropriate technology, 
• Skill and institutional set up for implementing resource development plans. 

(iii) Matching the resource development plans with overall national development plans.

2. India has made concerted efforts for achieving the goals of resource planning right from the First Five Year Plan launched after Independence.

3. The availability of resources is a necessary condition for the development of any region, 

• But mere availability of resources in the absence of corresponding changes in technology and institutions may hinder development. 

• There are many regions in our country that are rich in resources but these are included in economically backward regions. 

• On the contrary there are some regions which have a poor resource base but they are economically developed.

Can you name some resource rich but economically backward regions and some resource poor but economically developed regions? Give reasons for such a situation.

4. The history of colonisation reveals that: 

Rich resources in colonies were the main attractions for the foreign invaders. 

• It was primarily the higher level of technological development of the colonising countries that helped them to exploit resources of other regions and establish their supremacy over the colonies. 

5. Therefore, resources can contribute to development only when they are accompanied by: 

• Appropriate technological development and 
• Institutional changes. 

6. India has experienced all this in different phases of colonisation. 

7. Therefore, in India, development, in general, and resource development in particular does not only involve the availability of resources: 

• But also the technology, 
• Quality of human resources and 
• The historical experiences of the people.

Conservation of Resources: 

1. Resources are vital for any developmental activity. 

2. But irrational consumption and over-utilisation of resources may lead to socio-economic and environmental problems. 

3. To overcome these problems, 

• Resource conservation at various levels is important. 

4. Mahatma Gandhi and idea of conservation:

This had been the main concern of the leaders and thinkers in the past. 

• For example, Gandhiji was very apt in voicing his concern about resource conservation in these words: “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for anybody's greed.” 

• He placed the greedy and selfish individuals and exploitative nature of modern technology as the root cause for resource depletion at the global level. 

• He was against mass production and wanted to replace it with the production by the masses.

Club of Rome:

1. At the international level, 

• The Club of Rome advocated resource conservation for the first time in a more systematic way in 1968. 

2. Subsequently, in 1974, Gandhian philosophy was once again presented by Schumacher in his book Small is Beautiful. 

3. The seminal contribution with respect to resource conservation at the global level was made by the Brundtland Commission Report, 1987. 

• This report introduced the concept of ‘Sustainable Development’ and 
• Advocated it as a means for resource conservation, which was subsequently published in a book entitled Our Common Future. 

Another significant contribution was made at the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992.

LAND RESOURCES

1. We live on land, 

• We perform our economic activities on land and we use it in different ways. 

2. Thus, land is a natural resource of utmost importance. It supports: 

• Natural vegetation, 
• Wild life, 
• Human life, 
• Economic activities, 
• Transport and communication systems. 

4. However, land is an asset of a finite magnitude, therefore, 

• It is important to use the available land for various purposes with careful planning.

5. Indian Land Resources:

• India has land under a variety of relief features, namely; 
• mountains, 
• plateaus, 
• plains and 
• islands. 

• About 43 per cent of the land area is plain, which provides facilities for: agriculture and industry. 

• Mountains account for 30 per cent of the total surface area of the country and ensure: 
• perennial flow of some rivers, 
• provide facilities for tourism and ecological aspects. 

• About 27 per cent of the area of the country is the plateau region. It possesses: 
• rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.

LAND UTILISATION

Land resources are used for the following purposes:

1. Forests

2. Land not available for cultivation

(a) Barren And Wasteland

(b) Land Put to Non-agricultural uses,e.g. buildings, roads, factories, etc.

3. Other uncultivated land (excluding fallow land)

(a) Permanent pastures and grazing land,

(b) Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves (not included in net sown area),

(c) Cultruable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years).

4. Fallow lands

(a) Current fallow-(left without cultivation for one or less than one agricultural year),

(b) Other than current fallow-(left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years).

5. Net sown area: 

• The physical extent of land on which crops are sown, harvested is known as net sown area.

Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area is known as gross cropped area.

LAND USE PATTERN IN INDIA

1. The use of land is determined both by physical factors such as: 

• topography, 
• climate, 
• soil types, 

2. As well as human factors such as: 

• population density, 
• technological capability and 
• culture and traditions etc.

3. India's Geographical Area:

Total geographical area of India is 3.28 million sq km. 

Land use data, however, Is available only for 93 per cent of the total geographical area: 

• Because the land use reporting for most of the north-east states except Assam has not been done fully. 

Moreover, some areas of Jammu and Kashmir occupied by Pakistan and China have also not been surveyed.

Activity:

Try to do a comparison between the two pie charts (Fig. 1.4 ) given for land use and find out why the net sown area and the land under forests have changed from 1960-61 to 2014-15 very marginally.

4. The land under permanent pasture has also decreased. 

• How are we able to feed our huge cattle population on this pasture land and 
• What are the consequences of it? 

5. Most of the other than the current fallow lands are 

• Either of poor quality or 
• The cost of cultivation of such land is very high. 

Net Sown Area

Hence, these lands are cultivated once or twice in about two to three years and 

• If these are included in the net sown area then the percentage of NSA in India comes to about 54 per cent of the total reporting area.

6. The pattern of net sown area varies greatly from one state to another. 

• It is over 80 per cent of the total area in Punjab and Haryana and 
• less than 10 per cent in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman Nicobar Islands.

7. Forest area in the country:

Forest area in the country is far lower than the desired 33 percent of geographical area, 

• As it was outlined in the National Forest Policy (1952). 

• It was considered essential for maintenance of the ecological balance. 

• The livelihood of millions of people who live on the fringes of these forests depends upon it. 

8. Waste land and land under non-agricultural uses.

Waste land - includes rocky, arid and desert areas and 

land put to other non-agricultural uses includes: settlements, roads, railways, industry etc. 

9. How Land becomes waste Land:

Continuous use of land over a long period of time: 

• without taking appropriate measures to conserve and manage it, 
• Has resulted in land degradation. 

10. This, in turn, has serious repercussions on society and the environment.

LAND DEGRADATION AND CONSERVATION MEASURES

Why we require conservation:

1. Idea of Shared Land:

We have shared our land with the past generations and will have to do so with the future generations too. 

2. Economic Dependence:

95% of our basic needs for: 

• Food, 
• Shelter and 
• Clothing are obtained from land. 

Land Degradation:

1. Human activities and degradation:

Human activities have not only brought about degradation of land 

• but have also aggravated the pace of natural forces to cause damage to land.

Some human activities such as 

Deforestation, 

Over grazing, 

In states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra overgrazing is one of the main reasons for land degradation. 

Mining

• Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is complete leaving deep scars and traces of over-burdening. 

• In states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha deforestation due to mining have caused severe land degradation. 

Quarrying 

• The mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry and calcite and soapstone for ceramic 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. 

Excessive Irrigation:

In the states of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, over irrigation is responsible for land degradation 

• due to waterlogging leading to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil. 

Industrial effluents:

In recent years, industrial effluents as waste have become a major source of land and water pollution in many parts of the country.

Solution for Land Degradation:

Methods to check land degradation in arid areas. 

1. Afforestation and 

2. Proper management of grazing can help to some extent. 

3. Planting of shelter belts of plants, 

4. Control on over grazing, 

5. Stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes 

Methods to check land degradation industrial and suburban areas. 

1. Proper management of waste lands, 

2. control of mining activities, 

3. Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment.

SOIL AS A RESOURCE

1. Soil is the most important renewable natural resource. 

• It is the medium of plant growth and 

• Supports different types of living organisms on the earth.

 

• The soil is a living system. 

• It takes millions of years to form soil upto a few cm in depth. 

2. Factors responsible for the Formation of Soil:

• Relief, parent rock or bed rock, climate, vegetation and other forms of life and time are important factors in the formation of soil. 

• 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. 

• Chemical and organic changes which take place in the soil are equally important. 

• Soil also consists of organic (humus) and inorganic materials (Fig. 1.5).

3. On the basis of the factors responsible for: 

• soil formation, 
• colour, 
• thickness, 
• texture, 
• age, 
• chemical and physical properties, 

4. The soils of India are classified in different types.

Classification of Soils

India has varied: 

• relief features, 
• landforms, 
• climatic realms and 
• vegetation types. 

These have contributed in the development of various types of soils.

Alluvial Soils

This is the most widely spread and important soil. 

Areas where Alluvial soil are Found:

In fact, the entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil. 

These have been deposited by three important Himalayan river systems– 

• The Indus, 
• The Ganga and 
• The Brahmaputra. 

These soils also extend in Rajasthan and Gujarat through a narrow corridor. 

Alluvial soil is also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly: 

• In the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.

Composition of Alluvial Soil (Size)

The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay. 

As we move inlands towards the river valleys

• soil particles appear somewhat bigger in size. 

In the upper reaches of the river valley i.e. near the place of the break of slope, 

• The soils are coarse. 

Such soils are more common in piedmont plains such as Duars, Chos and Terai.

Classification of Soils on the basis of Age:

According to their age alluvial soils can be classified as 

• old alluvial (Bangar) and 
• new alluvial (Khadar). 

The bangar soil has higher concentration of kanker

nodules than the Khadar. 

It has more fine particles and is more fertile than the bangar.

Alluvial soils as a whole are very fertile. 

Mostly these soils contain adequate proportion of 

• potash, 
• phosphoric acid and 
• lime 

which are ideal for the growth of:

• sugarcane, 
• paddy, 
• wheat and other cereal and 
• pulse crops. 

Due to its high fertility, 

• Regions of alluvial soils are intensively cultivated and densely populated. 

• Soils in the drier areas are more alkaline and can be productive after proper treatment and irrigation.

Black Soil or Regur Soil or Cotton Soil:

These soils are black in colour and are also known as regur soils. 

Black soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil. 

It is believed that climatic conditions along with: 

• The parent rock materials are the important factors for the formation of black soil. 

Areas where Black Soil are Found:

This type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region 

• spread over northwest Deccan plateau and 
• Is made up of lava flows. 

They cover the plateaus of 

• Maharashtra, 
• Saurashtra, 
• Malwa, 
• Madhya Pradesh and 
• Chhattisgarh and 
• Extend in the south east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.

Features of Black Soil:

The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material. 

They are well-known for their capacity to hold moisture. 

In addition, they are rich in soil nutrients, such as: 

• calcium carbonate, 
• magnesium, 
• potash and 
• lime. 

These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents. 

They develop deep cracks during hot weather, 

• which helps in the proper aeration of the soil. 

These soils are sticky when wet and difficult to work on 

• unless tilled immediately after the first shower or during the pre-monsoon period.

Red and Yellow Soils

1. Red soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in: 

• The eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau. 

2. Yellow and red soils are also found in parts of: 

• Odisha, 
• Chhattisgarh, 
• southern parts of the middle Ganga plain and 
• Along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats. 

3. Why these color appear reddish

• These soils develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks. 

• It looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.

Laterite Soil

Laterite has been derived from the Latin word ‘later’ which means brick. 

The laterite soil develops under tropical and subtropical climate with alternate wet and dry season. 

This soil is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rain. 

Features of laterite Soil:

Lateritic soils are mostly: 

• deep to very deep, 
• acidic (pH<6.0), 
• Generally deficient in plant nutrients and 

Area where Laterite Soil are Found:

Occur mostly in southern states, 

• Western Ghats region of Maharashtra, 
• Odisha, 
• some parts of West Bengal and 
• North-east regions. 

Supports Vegetation:

Where these soils support deciduous and evergreen forests, It is humus rich, 

But under sparse vegetation and in a semi-arid environment, it is generally humus poor. 

They are prone to erosion and degradation due to their position on the landscape. 

Corrective Measure:

After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques particularly in the hilly areas of: 

• Karnataka, 
• Kerala and 
• Tamil Nadu, 

This soil is very useful for growing tea and coffee. 

Red laterite soils in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are more suitable for crops like cashew nuts.

Arid Soils

Arid soils range from red to brown in colour. 

They are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature. 

In some areas the salt content is very high and common salt is obtained by evaporating the water. 

• Due to the dry climate, 
• high temperature, 
• evaporation is faster and 
• The soil lacks humus and moisture. 

The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar because of the increasing calcium content downwards. 

• The Kankar layer formations in the bottom horizons restrict the infiltration of water. 

• After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable as has been in the case of western Rajasthan.

Forest Soils

These soils are found in the hilly and mountainous areas 

• where sufficient rain forests are available. 

The soils texture varies according to the mountain environment where they are formed. 

• They are loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes. 

• In the snow covered areas of Himalayas, 
• These soils experience denudation and are acidic with low humus content. 

• The soils found in the lower parts of the valleys particularly on the river terraces and alluvial fans are fertile.

Soil Erosion and Soil Conservation

Definition:

The denudation of the soil cover and subsequent washing down is described as soil erosion. 

The processes of soil formation and erosion go on simultaneously and generally there is a balance between the two. 

Sometimes, this balance is disturbed due to: 

human activities like: 

• deforestation, 
• over-grazing, 
• construction and mining etc., 

While natural forces like 

• wind, 
• glacier and 
• water leads to soil erosion. 

Ex:

Water Erosion:

The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels as gullies. 

The land becomes unfit for cultivation and is known as bad land. 

• In the Chambal basin such lands are called ravines. 

Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. 

• In such cases the top soil is washed away. 
• This is known as sheet erosion. 

Wind Erosion:

Wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land known as wind erosion. 

Soil erosion 

Is also caused due to defective methods of farming. 

• Ploughing in a wrong way i.e. up and down the slope form channels for the quick flow of water leading to soil erosion.

How to overcome soil erosion:

• Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water down the slopes. 

This is called contour ploughing (Steps can be cut out on the slopes making terraces.) 

• Terrace cultivation restricts erosion. 

• Western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming. 

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. 

Planting lines of trees to create shelter also works in a similar way. 

Rows of such trees are called shelter belts. 

These shelter belts have contributed significantly to the: 

• Stabilisation of sand dunes and 
• In stabilising the desert in western India.