Everything available in our environment that can be used to satisfy our needs, if it is technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally acceptable, is called a resource. The term 'resource' is thus not fixed; what is a resource today may cease to be one in the future, and new resources can be created with the advancement of technology. Natural resources such as land, water, soil, forests and minerals form the foundation of human life and development. However, the way we use resources has created serious problems of depletion, pollution and inequality, and this makes the study of resources and their sustainable development essential.
The chapter examines the classification of resources, the problems of resource planning in India, the different types of land use, the problems of land degradation and conservation, and the important concept of soil as a renewable resource. Students will also study the different types of soils found in India, their properties and distribution, and the measures for soil conservation. The chapter is the foundation for the entire Geography section, and its concepts of resource planning, sustainable development and soil conservation recur in later chapters.
For the board examination, students must be able to classify resources, explain resource planning, identify the types of soils on a map, and describe the causes and remedies of land degradation and soil erosion. Map-based questions on the distribution of major soil types are common, so practice on an outline map of India is essential. The chapter also introduces the important theme of sustainable development, which is a recurring concern in contemporary debates on environment and growth.
Resources can be classified in several ways. On the basis of origin, they are divided into biotic resources, which are obtained from the biosphere and have life, such as human beings, flora and fauna, fisheries and livestock, and abiotic resources, which are composed of non-living things, such as rocks and metals. On the basis of exhaustibility, resources are classified into renewable resources, which can be replenished or reproduced through physical and chemical processes, such as solar and wind energy, water, forests and wildlife, and non-renewable resources, which occur over very long geological time and cannot be regenerated easily, such as coal, petroleum and natural gas.
On the basis of ownership, resources can be individual resources, owned privately by individuals, such as a plot of land or a house; community owned resources, accessible to all members of the community, such as public parks and grazing grounds; national resources, owned by the nation, such as minerals, water resources and forests within the political boundaries of a country; and international resources, which are regulated by international institutions, such as the oceanic resources beyond 200 nautical miles of the Exclusive Economic Zone. On the basis of the status of development, resources are potential resources, developed resources, stock and reserves.
Potential resources are those found in a region but not yet fully utilised, such as the uranium deposits in Ladakh. Developed resources are those that have been surveyed and their quality and quantity determined for utilisation, such as coal and petroleum in India. Stock refers to materials in the environment that have the potential to satisfy human needs but human beings do not have the appropriate technology to access them, such as hydrogen and oxygen in water. Reserves are the subset of stock that can be put into use with the help of existing technical know-how, but their use has not been started; they can be used for future needs.
Resources are vital for any developmental activity, but irrational consumption and over-utilisation of resources have led to many serious problems. Resources have been depleted, and the pace of economic development has left behind ecological crises. The accumulation of resources in a few hands has divided society into the rich and the poor, and the indiscriminate use of resources has led to the global ecological crises such as global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation. An equitable distribution of resources has become essential for a sustained quality of life and global peace.
Resource planning is a complex process that involves the identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country, the planning for the use of the resources with a future perspective, and the matching of the resource development plans with overall national development plans. Resource planning is essential in a vast country like India because the distribution of resources is highly uneven. Some regions are rich in certain resources but poor in others, and some regions have acute shortages of vital resources. For example, Arunachal Pradesh is rich in water resources but lacks infrastructure, whereas Rajasthan has abundant solar and wind energy but lacks water.
Resource planning in India, however, faces many problems. Some of them include the inadequate data regarding the availability of resources, the inappropriate use of resources due to a lack of proper technology, and the prevalence of vested interests in the name of planning. The concept of sustainable development, which means development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, is central to resource planning. The Brundtland Commission Report of 1987 popularised this definition, and the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro in 1992 adopted the concept of sustainable development for all nations.
Land is a natural resource of utmost importance, as it supports natural vegetation, wildlife, human life, economic activities, transport and communication systems. India has land under a variety of relief features, namely mountains, plateaus, plains and islands. The land in India can be classified into two categories: land used for agriculture, and land not available for cultivation. About 43 per cent of the total land area is plain, which provides facilities for agriculture and industry; about 30 per cent is mountainous, which ensures perennial flow of some rivers and provides facilities for tourism and ecology; and about 27 per cent is plateau, which possesses rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and forests.
Land utilisation refers to the use of land for different purposes, and it includes the net sown area, current fallow lands, other than current fallow lands, cultivable wasteland, land under miscellaneous tree crops, and land not available for cultivation. The net sown area is the area sown at least once in a year, and it is the largest category of land use in India. The land not available for cultivation includes land under buildings, roads and railways, and barren and wasteland.
The pattern of land use in India has changed over time. The net sown area has increased, while the forest area has increased slightly in recent decades through afforestation. However, the land under cultivable waste has decreased. The distribution of land holdings is also unequal, with a large number of small and marginal farmers owning only a small fraction of the land. The planning of land use is complicated by the fact that different regions have different land uses, and the choice of land use is often governed by the physical and economic conditions.
Soil is the most important renewable natural resource, formed over a long period of time by the weathering of rocks and the decomposition of organic matter. India has a wide variety of soils because of its varied relief, climate and vegetation. The major soil types in India are alluvial soil, black soil, red and yellow soil, laterite soil, arid soil, and forest and mountainous soil. Each soil has its own characteristics, and each is suitable for different crops.
Alluvial soil is the most widespread and the most important soil in India, covering about 40 per cent of the total land area. It is found in the northern plains and the river deltas, and it is formed by the deposition of sediments by the rivers. Alluvial soil is very fertile and is ideal for the cultivation of rice, wheat, sugarcane and other crops. It is classified into khadar (new alluvial, deposited in floodplains, more fertile) and bhangar (older alluvium, found on higher terraces, coarser). Black soil, also known as regur soil, is black in colour and ideal for cotton; it develops cracks in summer and holds moisture well.
Red and yellow soils are found in areas of low rainfall in eastern and southern parts of the Deccan plateau, and they develop a reddish colour due to diffusion of iron in crystalline and metamorphic rocks. Laterite soil develops in areas with high temperature and heavy rainfall, and it is humus poor; it is suitable for tea and coffee plantations when treated. Arid soils are found in the desert regions of Rajasthan, and they are sandy and saline. Forest and mountainous soils are found in the forested regions and the mountainous areas, and they are loamy and silty in valleys and coarse in uplands. Each soil type has a specific distribution, which students should learn on the map.
Soil erosion is the washing away of the top layer of soil by natural forces like wind and water. The top layer is the most fertile, and its removal reduces the fertility of the soil. The running water cuts through the clayey soils and makes deep channels called gullies; when the land becomes unfit for cultivation, it is called bad land or ravines. Water erosion is also caused by the flow of water over the slopes, and wind erosion is common in the arid and semi-arid regions, where the wind blows away the loose, dry and barren soil.
Human activities such as deforestation, over-grazing, construction and mining have accelerated soil erosion. The measures to prevent soil erosion are called soil conservation measures. Contour ploughing, in which the ploughing is done along the contour lines, helps to slow down the flow of water down the slopes. Terrace cultivation, in which steps are cut out on the slopes for farming, is another method, and strip cropping involves growing crops in strips with grass in between to check wind erosion.
Shelter belts, which are rows of trees planted to check wind erosion, are useful in the desert regions and the coastal areas. The planting of trees, or afforestation, the control of over-grazing, and the use of better farming techniques such as mixed cropping and mulching also help in conserving the soil. Soil conservation is essential because soil is the foundation of agriculture, and the loss of soil through erosion is a serious threat to the food security and the sustainability of agriculture in India.
| Basis of Classification | Types |
|---|---|
| Origin | Biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) resources |
| Exhaustibility | Renewable and non-renewable resources |
| Ownership | Individual, community, national, international resources |
| Status of development | Potential, developed resources, stock and reserves |
| Soil Type | Feature | Major Crops/Regions |
|---|---|---|
| Alluvial soil | Most widespread (about 40% of area), very fertile | Rice, wheat, sugarcane; northern plains and deltas |
| Black soil (regur) | Black colour, holds moisture, develops cracks | Cotton; Deccan plateau (Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat) |
| Red and yellow soil | Reddish colour from iron, found in low rainfall areas | Bajra, pulses, groundnut; eastern and southern Deccan |
| Laterite soil | Humus poor, develops in high temp and heavy rainfall | Tea, coffee, cashew after treatment; Kerala, Karnataka |
| Arid soil | Sandy, saline | Desert regions of Rajasthan |
| Forest and mountainous soil | Loamy in valleys, coarse in uplands | Horticulture and forests in mountainous regions |
Resources are the basis of all development, and their wise use is essential for the well-being of both present and future generations. India is richly endowed with a variety of resources, but their uneven distribution and the problems of depletion, pollution and inequality demand careful resource planning. Land and soil are among our most precious resources, and the diversity of Indian soils supports a rich agriculture, from the fertile alluvium of the northern plains to the cotton-sustaining black soil of the Deccan. Soil erosion and land degradation are serious threats that can be checked through conservation measures such as contour ploughing, terracing, strip cropping and shelter belts. Ultimately, the challenge before India is to follow the path of sustainable development, using resources in a way that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own.