Professional Documents
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termed as a resource.
1) Resources are unevenly distributed. There are some regions which may be rich in
some types of resources and deficient in other types. For e.g. Arunachal Pradesh
ii) Evolving a planning structure endowed with appropriate technology, skill and
iii) Matching the resource development plan with the overall development plan.
LAND RESOURCE - Land is a vital natural resource which support natural vegetation , wild life ,
human life , economic activities , transport and communication system.
LAND USE : A judicious and a planned way of using the land for different purposes to ensure its
optimum utilization.
1) Forest
2) Land not available for cultivation: It includes barren and waste land and land put to non -
agricultural uses such as roads, building, factories etc. also called wasteland.
3) Pasture land
4) Land under tree crops (not included in the net sown area).
5) Culturable waste land (left uncultivated for more than 5 agricultural years)
6) Fallow land: Current fallow land (left without cultivation up to one year and other than
Areas which could not be covered for data – Most of the north eastern states except Assam and
1) Deforestation: When the trees are cut the roots loosen their grip on the soil. This loose
soil gets easily eroded by wind and water ultimately leading to land degradation. For eg
2) Overgrazing: When the cattle is left to graze without supervision, it has a tendency to
overgraze over some patches of land due to which the plants and grass gets uprooted. The
soil becomes loose and gets eroded easily leading to land degradation. For eg. Gujarat,
a) Mining sites are often abandoned after the excavation work is complete.
b) 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.
4) Industrial effluents: Industrial effluents are thrown over the land without giving proper
treatment to the waste. It leads to pollution and land degradation.
5) Over irrigation: Water logging leads to the increase of salinity or alkalinity of the
soil which is responsible for land degradation. For eg. Punjab and Haryana.
1) Afforestation
Important factors in the formation of soil are: relief, parent rock, climate, vegetation and other
forms of life. These factors contribute in the development of various types of soils: Alluvial, Black,
Red and Yellow, Laterite, Arid, Forest soil.
TYPES OF SOIL
ALLUVIAL SOIL
Location: Ganga- Satluj basin, delta regions of the Eastern Coastal Plains, parts of Gujarat and
Rajasthan.
Formation: Formed due to the deposition brought by the river systems of the Ganga, the Indus
Features:
# Most fertile,
# Most widespread,
# Rich in phosphoric acid potash and lime # composed of sand, silt and clay
BLACK SOIL
Formation: Climatic conditions along with the parent rock material are the important
Features: # rich in soil nutrients like calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime.
Location: Eastern and Southern parts of Deccan Plateau, parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh,
LATERITE SOIL
Formation: develops in the areas receiving high rainfall. Formed due to leaching.
ARID SOIL
Location: Rajasthan
FOREST SOIL
Features: Loamy and silty in valley sides. Acidic with low humus content in the snow-covered areas
of
the Himalayas in the lower parts, particularly in river terraces and alluvial fans are fertile.
Sheet Erosion: Sometimes water flows as a sheet over large areas, such that the top soil.
Gully Erosion: When the running water cuts through the clayey soil and makes deep
channel as gullies.
Wind Erosion: Wind blows loose soil away from the flat land and slopes.
Human Factors
● Deforestation
● Overgrazing
● Over irrigation
Natural Factors
● Wind
● Glacier
● Running water
● Contour Ploughing: Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate (reduce)the flow
● Terrace Farming: Steps can be made on the slopes making terraces. It restricts erosion.
● Strip Cropping: Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow
● Shelter Belts: Rows of trees are planted to create shelter. It has helped in stabilizing the