CBSE Class 10 Social Science Geography Resources and Development Assignment

INTRODUCTION

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’.Human beings themselves are essential components of resources. With the help of technology and institution (structures), they transform materials available in the nature into economically viable resources.

6.1 RESOURCES

Are resources free gifts of nature ?
No, resources are a function of human activities. Human beings themselves are essential components of resources. They transform material available in our penvironment into resources and use them.

(a) Importance of Resources :
(i) Resources forms the backbone of the economy of the
(ii) Resources form the base for economic strength & prosperity.
(iii) By utilising natural resources, humans have created their own world of living.

(b) Characteristics :
(i) Resources have utility.
(ii) Resources are normally available in limited quantity.
(iii) Man has to make effort to get utility from the resources.
(iv) Resources help us to create goods or provide services.
(v) Utility of a resource or its usability changes with improvement in science and technology.

6.2 TYPES OF RESOURCES

(a) On the basis of origin :
Biotic Resources : These are obtained from biosphere and have life such as human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries, livestock etc.
Abiotic Resources : All those things which are composed of nonliving things are called abiotic resources. For example, rocks and metals.

(b) On the basis of exhaustibility :
Renewable Resources : The resources which can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical processes. For example, solar and wind energy, water, forests and wildlife, geothermal etc.
Non-Renewable Resources : These occur over a very long geological time. Minerals and fossil fuels are example of such resources (coal, petroleum, natural gas uranium).

(c) On the Basis of Ownership :
Individual Resources : These are also owned privately by individuals. Plantation, pasture lands, ponds, water in wells etc. are some of the examples of resources owned by individuals.
Community Owned Resources : These are resources which are accessible to all the members of the community. Village commons (grazing grounds, burial grounds, village ponds, etc.) Public parks picnic spots, playgrounds in urban areas are accessible to all the people living there.
National Resources : All the resources belong to the nation. All the minerals, water resources, forests, wildlife, land within the political boundaries and oceanic area upto 12 nautical miles (22.2 km) from the coast, termed as territorial water and resources there in belong to the nation.
International Resources : There are international institutions which regulate some resources. The oceanic resources beyond 200 nm 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 Resources : Resources which are found in a region, but have not been utilised.
Rajasthan and Gujarat have enormous potential for the development of wind and solar energy. 
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.
Stock : Materials which have the potential to satisfy human needs but human beings do not have the appropriate technology to access these.
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.

6.3 DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCES

It is a necessary exercise for the utilization of resource, is not only exploitation but also preservation & reuse.
Examples :
(i) Land has to be cleared of forests or unwanted plants before agriculture.
(ii) Minerals have to be dug out and smelt before being converted into machinery.
(iii) Water has to be taken to fields to irrigate lands.

(a) Points to be kept in mind while using the natural resources :
(i) Renewable resources should not be put to wrong use or polluted.
(ii) Nonrenewable resources should be used properly & should be preserved for the future generation also.

(b) Human beings have used the resources indiscriminately and this has led to the following major problems :
(i) Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
(ii) 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.
(iii) Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such as, global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.

(c) Sustainable development :
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. Rio-de-Janeiro Earth Summit, 1992 adopted Agenda-21 for achieving sustainable development.

6.4 RESOURCE PLANNING

(a) Need
Resource planning is essential for sustainable existence of all forms of life. Sustainable existence is a component of sustainable development.

(b) Importance :
Planning is widely accepted strategy for judicious use of resources. It has importance in a country like India, which has enormous diversity in the availability of resources. There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but are deficient in some other resources. 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. This calls for balanced resource planning at national, state, regional and local levels.

(c) Resource Planning in India :
(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.
(d) Do you think that mere availability of resource in a particular region can lead to its development ?
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. Resources can contribute to development only when they are accompanied by appropriate technological development and institutional changes.

6.5 CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES

Is a judicious and planned use of natural resources.

(a) Need :
(i) Most of the resources are nonrenewable, once they get exhausted, can never be reused.
(ii) Economic development of a nation depends to a great extent on the richness, development and management of the resources.
(iii) Inappropriate & reckless utilization of resources can deplete them.
(iv) Overexploitation causes damage to the existing environment.

6.6 LAND RESOURCES

(a) Importance :
Land is a natural resource of utmost importance. It supports natural vegetation, wild life, human life, economic activities, transport and communication systems. It is important to use the available land for various purposes with careful planning.
(b) India's vast and diverse size is the most important resource :
(i) 43% of the total land is plain providing opportunities for agriculture & comfortable living.
(ii) 30% is mountainous, provides forest, wildlife & perennial rivers.
(iii) 27% is plateau, providing mineral resources, forests & arable lands.
(iv) Mountains & plateaus contain river valleys that offer favourable locations for human habitation.
(v) Monsoonal climate has made our land more valuable from agriculture & vegetational point of view.

6.7 LAND UTILISATION (2008-09)

Total land area = 3.28 million sq. km.
Data of 93% of the total land is available

(a) Satisfying features :
(i) 46.24% of the total land area falls under net sown area. We can easily fulfill the food demand of the growing population.
(ii) Area under forest has increased from 18.11% (1960-61) to 22.75% (2008-2009).
(iii) Area under fallow land has decreased. 

(b) Disturbing features :
Land under forest is only 22% much less than the scientific norm of 33% of the total area. Land under permanent pastures is only 4%, on other hand, India has largest number of cattles in the world.
Fallow land still occupies large percentage of the total land.

6.8 LAND DEGRADATION

Refers to the depletion of the land due to faulty agricultural practice, overgrazing, deforestation & mining.

(a) Causes :
(i) Natural cause :
By various natural agents, such as wind, water etc.
(ii) Human cause :
(A) Deforestation, overgrazing by animals, careless management of forests.
(B) Mining & industry
(C) Over irrigation leads to increase in salinity and alkalinity in the soil.

(b) Mining and industry as a major cause of land degradation :
(i) Mining sites are abandoned after excavation work is complete, leaving deep scars and terraces of overburdening.
(ii) Mineral processing, grinding of limestone, ceramic industry releases a heavy amount of dust, which later settles down in the surrounding areas.
(iii) Industrial effluents & wastage creates land & water pollution.

(c) Distribution of degraded land (2000) :
Total degraded area               – 130 million hectares
Forest degraded area             – 28%
Water eroded area                 – 56%
Wind eroded area                  – 10%
Saline and alkaline deposits.   – 6%

(d) Ways to control Land degradation :

6.9 SOIL RESOURCES

(a) Soil :
The uppermost layer of the earth's crust which is loose, fragmented & useful for plants is called soil. Rocks, climate, plants & animals, local topography & long period of time contributes to its formation & fertility. Chemical and organic changes which takes place in the soil are equally important.

(b) Classification of Soil :
Alluvial soil :

(i) The most widely spread and important soil.
(ii) The entire northern plains are made of alluvial soil. These soils also extend in Rajasthan and Gujarat, also found in the eastern coastal plains particularly in the deltas of the Mahanadi, the Godavari, the Krishna and the Kaveri rivers.
(iii) Alluvial soils are deposited by three important Himalayan river systems- the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
(iv) According to their age alluvial soils can be classified as old alluvial (Bangar) and new alluvial (Khadar).
(v) The bangar soils has higher concentration of kanker nodules than the Khadar. It has more fine particles and is more fertile than the bangar.
(vi) These soils contain adequate proportion of potash, phosphoric acid and lime.
(vii) Soils in the drier areas are more alkaline and can be productive after proper treatment and irrigation.

Black Soil :
(i) Is black in colour and is also known as regur soils.
(ii) Is ideal for growing cotton and is also known as black cotton soil.
(iii) Climatic condition along with the parent rock material are the important factors for the formation of black soil.
(iv) Is typical of the Deccan trap (Basalt) region spread over northwest Deccan plateau. Cover the plateaus of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and along the Godavari and the Krishna valleys.
(v) Are made up of extremely fine i.e. clayey material.
(vi) They are well known for their capacity to hold moisture. They develop deep cracks during hot weather, are sticky when wet and difficult to work on unless tilled immediately after the first shower or during the pre-monsoon period.
(vii) In addition, they are rich in soil nutrients such as calcium carbonate, magnesium, potash and lime. These soils are generally poor in phosphoric contents.

Red and Yellow Soil :
(i) Develops on crystalline igneous rocks in areas of low rainfall in the eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau.
(ii) Found in parts of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, southern parts of the middle Ganga plain and along the piedmont zone of the Western Ghats.
(iii) These soils develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks, looks yellow when it occurs in a hydrated form.

Laterite Soil :
(i) Develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall, humus content of the soil is low.
(ii) Laterite soils are suitable for cultivation with adequate doses of manures and fertilizers.
(iii) Found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and the hilly areas of Orissa and Assam.
(iv) After adopting appropriate soil conservation techniques 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 nut.

Arid Soil :
(i) Ranges from red to brown in colour, are generally sandy in texture and saline in nature, lacks humus and moisture.
(ii) The lower horizons of the soil are occupied by Kankar because of the increasing calcium content downwards, restricts the infiltration of water.
(iii) After proper irrigation these soils become cultivable.

Forest Soil :
(i) Found in the hilly and mountainous areas.
(ii) Soil 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.
(iii) 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.

6.10 SOIL EROSION

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

(a) Causes :
(i) Over grazing & deforestation.
(ii) Unscientific methods of cultivation.
(iii) Fast blowing wind, surface runoff.

(b) Effects :
(i) Makes land unsuitable for cultivation.
(ii) Land so developed are called bad lands, in the Chambal basin they are known as ravines.
(c) Ways of controlling soil erosion :
(i) Construction of small bunds in water eroded areas.
(ii) Construction of terraces, plugging of gullies in hilly areas.
(iii) Preparation of shelter belt of plants.
(iv) Control on overgrazing .
(v) More afforestation.
(vi) Mulching and check dams.
(vii) Contour ploughing and strip cropping.

Short Questions for Class 10 Social Science Resources and Development

Question :  What steps can be taken to control soil erosion in hilly areas ? 
Answer : 1) Terracing on hilly area
2) Buildings Dams on hilly areas 
3) Afforestation 

Question : When and why was the Rio-de-Janero Earth summit held ? 
Answer : 1992 Rio-de-Janero (Brazil) Earth summit To achieve sustainable development in order to combat environment damage, poverty and disease, it laid emphasis on global cooperation mutual needs and shared responsibilities.  

Question : Write two characteristics each of Khadar and Bangar ? 
Answer : Khadar (New Alluvium) 
1) New Alluvium a new soil 
2) Very fertile soil less Kankar nodules 
Bangar (Old Alluvium) 
1) Old Alluvium or Old soil 
2) Not to fertile, often contains Kankar nodules 

Question : What type of soil is found in river deltas of the eastern coast ? Give three main features of this type of soil. 
Answer : Alluvial Soil 
1) Most important soil
2) Such a soil is the result of deposits of river.
3) Very fertile soil.

Question : What do you, mean by land use pattern ? Name the factors that determine the use of land. 
Answer : Utilization of land for various purposes such as cultivation grazing of animals mining construction of roads etc. Factors 
1) Topography 
2) Climate 
3) Human Factor 
4) Accessibility 

Long Questions for Class 10 Social Science Resources and Development