GEOGRAPHY

CLASS X

CHAPTER -1

RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT

NOTES
Importance of Resource Planning

Resource planning is a widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources for sustainable
development. The reasons why resource planning is essential-

i) Resources are unevenly distributed over the country.

ii) Some regions are rich in certain types of resources but are deficient in some other
resources. There are some regions which have acute shortage of some vital resources.
iii) Resources are limited. Resource planning helps in reducing wastage and care for the future
generation.

Factors responsible for the development of resources in India

1. The availability of resources is a necessary condition for the development of any reason, but
mere availability of resources in the absence of corresponding changes in technology and
institutions may hinder development.
2. The history of colonization reveals that rich resources in colonies were the main attraction for
the foreign invaders.
3. It was primarily the higher level of technological development of the colonizing countries that
helped them to exploit resources of other regions and established supremacy over the colonies.
4. Therefore, resources can contribute to development only when they are accompanied with
appropriate technological development and institutional changes.
5. In India, resource development does not only involve the availability of resources but also the
technology, quality of human resources and the historical experiences of the people.

Factors contributing to soil formation

1. Change in temperature
2. Action of running water
3. Wind
4. Glacier
5. Activities of the decomposer
 Soil Erosion

The removal of soil cover and subsequent washing down is known as soil erosion.

Types of soil erosion

i) Gully erosion – the running water cuts through the clayey soils and make deep channels
such as gullies, known as gully erosion
ii) Sheet erosion – sometimes water flows as a sheet over large area, down or as a slope. In
such cases the top soil is washed away, known as sheet erosion.

Methods of controlling soil erosion

1. In hilly areas – Ploughing along the contour lines can slow down the flow of water down the
slopes. Terrace farming is another way to control soil erosion.
2. In agricultural regions – Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow in
between the crops. This not only breaks the force of wind but also provides fodder to farm
animals.
3. In dry areas – Planting line of trees called shelter belts to conserve soil. Such shelter belts are
useful for the checking the expansion of deserts into agricultural areas.
4. In industrial and suburban areas- Proper management of waste lands and control over mining,
grazing etc can stop the soil from being eroded away.
5. In the catchment areas of river – River often cause floods which cause extensive soil being being
washed away. Rivers should be embanked.

Classification of resources

(a) On the Basis of Origin – Biotic and Abiotic

Biotic Resources are obtained from the biosphere and have life.
Eg: Human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock etc.
Abiotic Resources: All those things which are composed of non-living things are called abiotic resources.
Eg: rocks and metals.

(b) On the Basis of Exhaustibility – Renewable and Non-Renewable

The resources which can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical processes are known
as Renewable or Replenishable Resources. The renewable resource may further be divided into continuous or
flow.
Eg: Solar and wind energy, water, forests and wildlife, etc.
Non-Renewable Resources occur over a very long geological time. These resources take millions of years in their
formation. Some of the resources like metals are recyclable and some like fossil fuels cannot be recycled and get
exhausted with their use.
Eg: Minerals and fossil fuels.

(c) On the Basis of Ownership – Individual, Community, National and International

Individual Resources are owned privately by individuals. In villages people own lands whereas in urban areas
people own plots, houses and other properties.
Eg: Plantation, pasture lands, ponds, water in wells etc.
Community Owned Resources are accessible to all the members of the community.
Eg: Grazing grounds, burial grounds, public parks, picnic spots, playgrounds etc.
National Resources are owned by a nation or country. All the minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife, land
within the political boundaries and oceanic area up to 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from the coast termed as
territorial water and resources therein belong to the nation.
Eg: Roads, canals, railways etc.
International Resources are regulated by international institutions. The oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical
miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone belong to open ocean and no individual country can utilise these without the
concurrence of international institutions.

(d) On the Basis of the Status of Development – Potential, Developed Stock and Reserves
Potential Resources are the resources which are found in a region but have not been utilised.
Eg: Rajasthan and Gujarat have enormous potential for the development of wind and solar energy, but so far these
have not been developed properly.
Developed Resources: Resources which are surveyed and their quality and quantity have been determined for
utilisation. The development of resources depends on technology and level of their feasibility.
Materials in the environment which have the potential to satisfy human needs but human beings do not have the
appropriate technology to access these, are called Stock.
Eg: Hydrogen can be used as a rich source of energy. But we do not have advanced technology to use it.
Reserves are the subset of the stock, which can be put into use with the help of existing technical ‘know-how’ but
their use has not been started. These can be used for meeting future requirements.
Eg: Water in the dams, forests etc. is a reserve which can be used in the future .

Classification of soils

Features/ characteristics of Alluvial soil

1. The entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil.

2. The Alluvial Soil is deposited by 3 important Himalayan river systems – the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
3. It is also found in Rajasthan, Gujarat and eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas of the Mahanadi, the
Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.
4. The alluvial soil consists of various proportions of sand, silt and clay. As we move inlands towards the river valleys, soil
particles appear to be bigger in size whereas in the upper side of the river valley, the soils are coarse.
5. Based on age, Alluvial soils can be classified as:
 6. Old Alluvial (Bangar): The Bangar soil has a higher concentration of kanker nodules than the Khadar.
7. New Alluvial (Khadar): It has more fine particles and is more fertile than the Bangar.
8. Alluvial soils are very fertile. These soils contain an adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime, which
are ideal for the growth of sugarcane, paddy, wheat and other cereal and pulse crops.

Features/ characteristics of Black soil

1. This soil is black in colour and is also known as regur soil. Climatic conditions along with the parent rock material are
the important factors for the formation of black soil.
2. The soil is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.
3. This type of soil is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwest Deccan plateau and is made up of
lava flows.
4. The soil covers the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and extends in
the south-east direction along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.
5. The black soils are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material and well-known for their capacity to hold moisture.
6. Black soil is nutrients rich and contains calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.
7. The soil is sticky when wet and difficult to work on unless tilled immediately after the first shower or during the pre-
monsoon period.

Features/ characteristics of Red & Yellow soil

1. This type of soil develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the
Deccan plateau.
2. 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.
3. Found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the middle Ganga plain and along the piedmont zone of the
Western Ghats.

Features/ characteristics of Laterite soil

1. The laterite soil develops under tropical and subtropical climate with the alternate wet and dry season.
2. This soil is the result of intense leaching due to heavy rain.
3. Lateritic soils are acidic (pH<6.0) in nature and generally deficient in plant nutrients. This type of soil is found mostly
in Southern states, Western Ghats region of Maharashtra, Odisha, some parts of West Bengal and North-east regions.
4. The soil supports deciduous and evergreen forests but humus poor.
5. This soil is very useful for growing tea and coffee.

Features/ characteristics of Arid soil

1. Arid soils range from red to brown in colour.

2. This soil is 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.
3. Arid soil lacks humus and moisture.
4. 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.

Features/ characteristics of Forest soil

1. These soils are found in the hilly and mountainous areas.

2. The soil texture is loamy and silty in valley sides and coarse grained in the upper slopes.
3. In the snow covered areas of Himalayas, these soils experience denudation and are acidic with low humus content.
The soil is fertile on the river terraces and alluvial fans.
 GEOGRAPHY

CLASS X

RESOURCE AND DEVELOPMENT

NCERT QUESTIONS

3. (I). Explain the land use pattern in India and why has the land under forest not increased
much since 1960- 61?

Land resources in India are primarily divided into agricultural land, forest land, land meant for
pasture and grazing land for non- agricultural use and waste land.

According to recent data available the Net Sown Area is 54% approx, 27.78% is covered by
forests and 3.38% is used for grazing.

a) Improper use of forest land has degraded the available land area and made conservation of
forests difficult. Large scale multi-purpose projects have submerged forests and trees
b) Intensive urbanization and industrialization
c) Human activities such as deforestation, mining and quarrying have contributed to the slow
growth rate of the forests. Thus land under forest has increased by only about 4% since
1960- 61.

3. (ii). How have technical and economic development led to more consumption of
resources?

a) Technological development has led to industrialization which has increased the use of
natural resources.

b) Technological development has converted the subsistence agriculture to commercial

agriculture and this has led to over-utilization of land.

c) Technological development has also improved the process of mining.

d) The development of technology contributed to increase in production of quality goods and

provision of better devices to the people.

e) Economic development has led to increasing urbanization and modernization which demand
more resources.
 GEOGRAPHY

CLASS X

RESOURCE AND DEVELOPMENT

HOTS & EXTRA QUESTIONS

1. What do you mean by land use pattern? Name the factors that determine the use of land.
Utilization of land for various purposes, such a cultivation, grazing of animals, mining and
construction of roads is called land use pattern.
Factors that determine the use of land –
a) Physical factors
i) Topography
ii) Climate
iii) Soil type
b) Human factors
i) Population density
ii) Technological capability
iii) Culture and traditions

2. ‘33% of the total land area of a country should be under forests’. Justify the statement
highlighting the environmental values of forests.
The National Forest Policy, 1952, outlines that forest area of a country should be 33% of the
geographical area. In India, it is about 19.39%.
a) Forests are essential for maintaining the ecological balance. Plants, animals and micro-
organisms recreate the quality of air that we breathe and the soil that produces our food,
without which we cannot survive.
b) Forests protect the genetic diversity of plants and animals for better growth of species and
breeding.
c) Forests are the primary producers on which all other living organisms survive.

3. ‘Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries’.

Justify the statement.
As environment belongs to the earth its impact is felt by the whole planet.
a) For example, if carbon dioxide is being released by some rich countries, global warming is
affecting the lives of all the people on the planet.
 b) Air pollution moves along the air and cannot be restricted to any place or country.
c) Ozone layer depletion has serious consequences for the people all over the world.

4. How can we group human being and coal in same category of resources ?
Human being and coal can be grouped in biotic resources because of their origin from living
source and biosphere.

5. A type of resource named ‘R’ is found in Chota Nagpur region in abundance but cannot be
utilized yet due to lack of appropriate technology in India to access these. How can we classify
‘R’?
‘R’ must be a stock resource.

6. Differentiate between Gross Cropped Area and Net Sown Area.

Net Sown Area refers to the land where crops are currently sown but Gross Cropped Area
includes Net Sown Area plus area sown more than once in an agricultural year.

7. What are the advantages of India’s land under a variety of relief features?
In India, 30% area is mountainous, 27% are plateaus and 43% are plains, all of these have
specific advantages to be utilized.
i) Mountains are source to many streams and rivers, some of them are perennial. These
regions have high potential for hydro electricity productions, etc and are also good
tourist destinations.
ii) Plateaus are mostly laden with minerals, fossil fuels and forests, etc so are economically
very useful.
iii) Plains are most important land resource for human beings. These are fertile and most of
the food crops etc are grown here. They are useful for development of factories, roads,
etc.

8. Explain the inter-dependence of nature, technology and institutions with an example.

Nature that consist of physical environment is turned into better uses by the application of
technology.
Human beings interact with nature through technology to create various institutions. Iron ore
which is present in nature is extracted from the mines, converted to steel and then to useful
products like automobiles, machines, etc.
Here, Iron ore is natural, human beings use technology to turn it into automobile which is a
structure or an institution.

9. How is ‘stock’ different from ‘reserve’?

Stock are resources which have the potential to satisfy human wants needs but appropriate
technology is not available to develop these resources, eg., water is a compound of hydrogen
and oxygen and are a rich source of energy. However, India does not have the technical know-
how to develop these resources. Reserves are part of stock, which can be put into use with the
 help of existing technology. But their use has not been started. Eg., water in rivers, dams, forests
are reserves which can be used. Rivers are used for generating hydro-electric power, but in a
very small way.

10. ‘Sustainability of development is a new area of knowledge’. Do you agree ? Justify your
answer.
No, we do not agree with the statement because sustainable development is not a new area of
knowledge.
This had been the main concern of leaders and thinkers of the past. For eg., Gandhiji was very
apt in voicing his concern about resource conservation. Similarly thinkers and philosophers
advocated sustainable use of resources.
However, the term ‘sustainable development’ is recently originated by the Brundtland
Commission Report, 1987 for this purpose.

11. ‘Planning is widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources in a country like India’.
Justify this statement with two relevant points and an example.
Planning is widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources in a country like India which
has enormous diversity in the availability of resources.
i) There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources, but are deficient in some
other resources.
ii) There are some regions which can be considered self- sufficient in terms of the
availability of resources and there are some regions which have acute shortage of some
vital resources.

Example : The states of Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and
coal deposits. 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. So, to cope up with these diversities, planning is required.

12. Why is resource conservation important?

Resources are vital for any developmental activity.
Irrational consumption and over utilization of resources may lead to socio-economic and
environmental problems. To overcome these problems, resource conservation at various levels
is important.

13. Distinguish between Khadar and Bangar.

Khaddar –
i) it is new alluvial soil
ii) it is more fertile
iii) it is found near the banks of rivers.
iv) It has fine particles
 Bangar –

i) It is an old alluvial soil

ii) It is less fertile
iii) It is found farther away from the river
iv) It has kankar nodules in it

14. What was Gandhiji’s idea about conservation of resources?

1) 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’.
2) He placed the greedy and selfish individuals and exploitative nature of modern technology
as the root cause for resource depletion.
3) He was against mass production and wanted to replace it with the production by masses

15. ‘Land is the natural resource of utmost importance’. Justify.

1) We live on land.
2) We perform our economic activities on land
3) We use it in different ways
4) It supports natural vegetation, wildlife and human life
5) It also supports transport and communication.

16. What is land degradation? Briefly explain about degraded land in India.
Land degradation means depletion in the quality of the land either due to natural factors or
some of the human activities.
i) There are about 130 mn hectares of degraded land in India
ii) About 28% of it belongs to the category of forest degraded area, 51% of it is water-
eroded and the rest is affected by saline and alkaline deposits and wind- eroded area.
iii) Some human activities such as deforestation, over- grazing, mining and quarrying also
contribute to land degradation.

17. How is soil important to us?

i) Soil is the most important renewable natural resource.
ii) It is the medium of plant growth
iii) It supports different types of living organisms.

18. What is Bad land? Give an example

The land becomes unfit for cultivation due to gully erosion. Such a land is called Bad land. Such
lands are also called Ravines.
Example : The Chambal basin.

19. Do you think resources are gifts of nature? Justify.

i) No, resources are not free gifts of nature.
 ii) Resources are a function of human activities.
iii) They transform material available in our environment into resources and use them.

20. State the reasons for the low percentage of net sown area in the north- east
1. North- eastern states are rocky, mountainous and not suitable for agriculture
2. Climate is rigid
3. Most of the area is covered with dense forests.

21. Distinguish between Individual and National resources

Individual resource
i) These are owned by individual privately
ii) Many farmers own land which is allotted to them by the government against the
payment of revenue
iii) In villages there are people with land ownership but may are landless
iv) In urban areas people own plots, houses, ponds, water wells etc
v) These resources can be taken over by the government if it feels important for public
welfare

National resource

i) These resources belong to the nation

ii) Individual control and management cannot be made
iii) Roads, canals, bridges are constructed on fields owned by individuals
iv) Urban Development Authorities get empowered by the government to acquire land. All
minerals, water, forests, wildlife and land within the political boundaries and territorial
waters, belong to the nation.
v) These are for public good.