Unit 3

Natural Resources

• Land resources: Minerals, soil, agricultural crops, natural forest products, medicinal
plants, and forest-based industries and livelihoods; Land cover, land use change, land
degradation, soil erosion, and desertification; Causes of deforestation; Impacts of
mining and dam building on environment, forests, biodiversity, and tribal
communities
• Water resources: Natural and man-made sources; Uses of water; Over exploitation
of surface and ground water resources; Floods, droughts, and international &inter-
state conflicts over water
• Energy resources: Renewable and non-renewable energy sources; Use of alternate
energy sources; Growing energy needs; Energy contents of coal, petroleum, natural
gas and bio gas; Agro-residues as a biomass energy source
• Case studies: Contemporary Indian issues related to mining, dams, forests, energy,
etc (e.g., National Solar Mission, Cauvery river water conflict, Sardar Sarovar dam,
Chipko movement, Appiko movement, Tarun Bharat Sangh, etc)

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NATURAL RESOURCS
“Natural resources can be defined as the resources that exist (on the planet) independent of
human actions.”

These are the resources that are found in the environment and are developed without the
intervention of humans. Common examples of natural resources include air, sunlight, water,
soil, stone, plants, animals, and fossil fuels.
The natural resources are naturally occurring materials that are useful to man or could be useful
under conceivable technological, economic or social circumstances or supplies drawn from the
earth supplies such as food, building and clothing materials, fertilizers, metals, water, and
geothermal power. For a long time, natural resources were the domain of the natural sciences.

Based on the availability are two types of natural resources:

Renewable:
Renewable resources are the ones that are consistently available regardless of their use. They
can be fairly recovered or replaced after utilization. Examples include vegetation, water, and
air. Animals can also be categorized as renewable resources because they can be reared and
bred to reproduce offspring to substitute the older animals.
As much as these resources are renewable, it may take tens to hundreds of years to replace
them. The renewable raw materials that come from living things namely animals and trees are
termed as organic renewable resources while those that come from non-living things such as
sun, water and wind are termed as inorganic renewable resources.
Non-Renewable:
Non-renewable resources are the ones that cannot simply be substituted or recovered once they
have been utilized or destroyed. Examples of such natural resources include fossil fuels and
minerals. Minerals are categorized as non-renewable because, even though they take shape
naturally through the rock cycle, their formation periods take thousands of years. Someanimals
mostly the endangered species are similarly regarded as non-renewable because they are at the
verge of extinction.
It brings about the many reasons the endangered species have to be protected by all means. The
non-renewable materials that come from living things such as fossil fuels are known as organic
non-renewable resources while those that come from non-living things such as rocks and soil
are referred to as inorganic non-renewable resources.

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 Renewable resource Non-renewable resource

It can be renewed as it is available in Once completely consumed, it cannot be

infinite quantity renewed due to limited stock

Sustainable in nature Exhaustible in nature

Low cost and environment-friendly High cost and less environment-friendly

Replenish slowly or do not replenish naturally

Replenish quickly
at all

TYPES OF NATURAL RESOURCES

1. Land Resources
1.Forest Resources
2. Water Resources

4. Energy Resources

(I) LAND RESOURCES:

(a) Land as a resource: Landforms such as hills, valleys, plains, river basins and wetlands
include different resource generating areas that the people living in them depend on. Many
traditional farming societies had ways of preserving areas from which they used resources. Eg.
In the ‘sacred groves’ of the Western Ghats, requests to the spirit of the Grove for permission
to cut a tree, or extract a resource, were accompanied by simple rituals. The outcome of a
chance fall on one side or the other of a stone balanced on a rock gave or withheld permission.
The request could not be repeated for a specified period.
If land is utilized carefully it can be considered a renewable resource. The roots of trees and
grasses bind the soil. If forests are depleted, or grasslands overgrazed, the land becomes
unproductive and wasteland is formed. Intensive irrigation leads to water logging and
salination, on which crops cannot grow. Land is also converted into a non-renewable resource
when highly toxic industrial and nuclear wastes are dumped on it.
Land on earth is as finite as any of our other natural resources. While mankind has learnt to
adapt his lifestyle to various ecosystems world over, he cannot live comfortably for instanceon
polar ice caps, on under the sea, or in space in the foreseeable future.
Man needs land for building homes, cultivating food, maintaining pastures for domestic
animals, developing industries to provide goods, and supporting the industry by creating

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towns and cities. Equally importantly, man needs to protect wilderness area in forests,
grasslands, wetlands, mountains, coasts, etc. to protect our vitally valuable biodiversity.
Thus a rational use of land needs careful planning. One can develop most of these different
types of land uses almost anywhere, but Protected Areas (National Park’s and Wildlife
Sanctuaries) can only be situated where some of the natural ecosystems are still undisturbed.
These Protected Areas are important aspects of good land use planning.

(b) Land use change: The most damaging change in land use is demonstrated by the rapidity
with which forests have vanished during recent times, both in India and in the rest of the
world. Forests provide us with a variety of services. These include processes such as
maintaining oxygen levels in the atmosphere, removal of carbon dioxide, control overwater
regimes, and slowing down erosion and also produce products such as food, fuel, timber,
fodder, medicinal plants, etc. In the long term, the loss of these is far greater than the short-
term gains produced by converting forested lands to other uses.
(c) Land degradation: It is a process of deterioration of soil or loss of fertility. Due to
increasing population, the demands for arable land for producing food, fibre and fuel wood is
also increasing. Hence there is more and more pressure on the limited land resources which are
getting degraded due to over-exploitation. Nearly 56% of total geographical area of the country
is suffering due to land resource degradation. Out of 17-million-hectare canal irrigated area,
3.4 million hectares is suffering from water logging and salinity.

Effects of land degradation:

1. Soil texture and soil structure are destructed.
2. Loss of soil fertility.
3. Loss of valuable nutrients.
4. Increase in water logging, salinity, alkalinity and acidity problem.
5. Loss of economic social and biodiversity.

Causes of land degradation:

1. Population: More land is needed for producing food, fibre and fuel wood. So land is
degraded due to over exploitation.

2. Urbanization: Urbanization reduces the agricultural land. Urbanization leads to

deforestation, which in turn affects millions of plants and animals.
3. Fertilizers and pesticides: It affects fertility of the soil and causes land pollution.
4. Damage of top soil: Increase in food production generally leads to damage of top soil
through nutrient depletion.
5. Water logging, soil erosion, salination and contamination of the soil with industrial wastes
and cause land degradation.

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(d) Soil erosion: The process of loss or removal of superficial layer of soil due to the action
of wind, water and human factors. In other words, it can be defined as the movement of soil
components, especially surface-litter and top soil from one place to another. It has been
estimated that more than 5000 million tonnes topsoil is being eroded annually and 30% of total
eroded mass is getting loosed to the sea.

Types of soil erosion:

1. Geological erosion:

It is caused by gradual removal of top soil by the natural process. The rate of erosion is less.
2. Accelerated erosion:
It is caused by man-made activities. The erosion is much faster than the rate formation of soil.

Causes of soil erosion:

1. Water: water causes soil erosion in the form of rain, run off, rapid flow and wave action.

2. Wind: It is an important climatic agent, which carry away the fine particles of soil creates
soil erosion.
3. Biotic agent: Over grazing, mining and deforestation are the major biotic agent cause soil
erosion.35% of soil erosion is due to over grazing and 30% is due to deforestation.
4. Land slide: It causes soil erosion.

5. Construction: Construction of dams, buildings, roads remove protective vegetal cover and
leads to soil erosion.

Control of soil erosion (or) Soil conservation practices:

The art of soil conservation is based on following basic principles
1. To slow down the water for concentrating and moving down the slope in a narrow path.
2. To slow down the water movement when it flows along the slope.
3. To encourage more water to enter into the soil.
4. To increase the size of soil particles.

5. Reduction in the wind velocity near the ground by growing vegetation.

Conservational tillage: The process of mixing the residues from previous crops into the soil
by ploughing is called conservational tillage. It improves soil permeability and increase organic
matter, which in turn improve soil moisture and nutrients.
Organic farming: Process of increasing organic input to the soil. Example: bio fertilizer
Crop rotation: Process of growing different crops in successive year on the same land. It
prevents the loss of fertility of the soil.

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Contour Ploughing: It is very useful areas with low rainfall, i.e. placing some furrows to store
water, which reduces runoff and erosion.
Mulching: Soil is covered with crop residues and other form of plant litters.

Strip cropping: Planting of crops in rows to check flow of water.

Terrace farming: Conversion of steep slopes in to a series of broad terraces which run across
the contour. It reduces soil erosion by controlling run off.
Agroforestry: Planting crops in between rows of trees or shrubs that can provide fruits and fuel
wood. After harvesting the crops the soil will not be eroded because trees and shrubs will
remain on the soil and hold the soil particles.
Wind break: Trees are planted in long rows along the boundary of cultivated lands, which
block the wind and reduces soil erosion.

(e) Desertification: Desertification is a process whereby the productive potential of arid or

semiarid lands falls by ten percent or more. Desertification is characterized by de-vegetation
and depletion of groundwater, salinization and severe soil erosion.

Causes:
1. Deforestation

2. Over grazing
3. Over utilization of water
4. Mining and quarrying
5. Climate change

6. Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides

Effects of desertification:
80% of productive land in the arid and semi-arid regions are converted in to desert. Around
600million people are suffered by desertification.

(II) FOREST RESOURCES

Forest is important renewable resources. Forest vary in composition and diversity and can
contribute substantially to the economic development of any country. Plants along with trees
cover large areas, produce variety of products and provide food for living organisms, and also
important to save the environment.
It is estimated that about 30% of world area is covered by forest whereas 26% by pastures.
Among all continents, Africa has largest forested area (33%) followed by Latin America (25%),
whereas in North America forest cover is only 11%. Asia and former USSR has 14%

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area under forest. European countries have only 3% area under forest cover. India’s Forest
Cover accounts for 20.6% of the total geographical area of the country as of 2005.

(1) Significance of forests

Forest can provide prosperity of human being and to the nations. Important uses of forest
can be classified as under

(i) Commercial values

• Forests are main source of many commercial products such as wood, timber,
pulpwood etc. About 1.5 billion people depend upon fuel wood as an energy source.
Timber obtained from the forest can used to make plywood, board, doors and
windows, furniture, and agriculture implements and sports goods. Timber is also a raw
material for preparation of paper, rayon and film.
• Forest can provide food, fibre, edible oils and drugs.
• Forest lands are also used for agriculture and grazing.
• Forest is important source of development of dams, recreation and mining.

(ii) Life and Economy of tribal

Forest provide food, medicine and other products needed for tribal people and play a vital
role in the life and economy of tribes living in the forest.

(iii) Ecological uses

Forests are habitat to all wild animals, plants and support millions of species. They help in
reducing global warming caused by green-house gases and produces oxygen upon
photosynthesis.
Forest can act as pollution purifier by absorbing toxic gases. Forest not only helps in soil
conservation but also helps to regulate the hydrological cycle.

(iv) Aesthetic values

All over the world people appreciate the beauty and tranquility of the forest because forests
have a greatest aesthetic value. Forest provides opportunity for recreation and ecosystem
research.

2. Over exploitation of forests

Forests contribute substantially to the national economy. With increasing population increased
demand of fuel wood, expansion of area under urban development and industries has led to
over exploitation of forest. At present international level we are losing forest at the rate of
1.7 crore hectares annually. Overexploitation also occurs due to overgrazing andconversion
of forest to pastures for domestic use.

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3. Deforestation

Forest are burned or cut for clearing of land for agriculture, harvesting for wood and timber,
development and expansion of cities. These economic gains are short term where as long
term effects of deforestation are irreversible

1. Deforestation rate is relatively low in temperate countries than in tropics If present rate
of deforestation continues we may losses 90% tropical forest in coming six decades
2. For ecological balance 33% area should be under forest cover but our nation has only
20.6% forest cover.

Causes of deforestation

Forest area in some developed area has expanded. However in developing countries area under
forest is showing declining trend particularly in tropical region. Main causes of deforestation
are

a) Shifting cultivation or Jhum cultivation

This practice is prevalent in tribal areas where forest lands are cleared to grow subsistence
crops. It is estimated that principle cause of deforestation in tropics in Africa, Asia and
tropical America is estimated to be 70, 50, and 35% respectively. Shifting cultivation which
is a practice of slash and burn agriculture are possess to clear more than 5 lakh hectares of
land annually. In India, shifting cultivation is prevalent in northeast and to limited extent in
M.P, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh and is contributing significantly to deforestation.

b) Commercial logging

It is an important deforestation agent. It may not be the primary cause but definitely it acts
as secondary cause, because new logging lots permits shifting cultivation and fuel wood
gatherers access to new logged areas.

c) Need for fuel wood

Increased population has led to increasing demand for fuel wood which is also acting as
an important deforestation agent, particularly in dry forest.

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 d) Expansion for agribusiness

With the addition of cash crops such as oil palm, rubber, fruits and ornamental plants,
there is stress to expand the area for agribusiness products which results in deforestation.

e) Development projects and growing need for food

The growing demand for electricity, irrigation, construction, mining, etc. has led to
destruction of forest. Increased population needs more food which has compelled for
increasing area under agriculture crops compelling for deforestation.

f) Raw materials for industrial use

Forest provides raw material for industry and it has exerted tremendous pressure on
forest. Increasing demand for plywood for backing has exerted pressure on cutting of
other species such as fir to be used as backing material for apple in J&K and tea in
northeast states.

Major effects of deforestation

Deforestation adversely and directly affects and damages the environment and living
beings .Major causes of deforestation are

 Soil erosion and loss of soil fertility

 Decrease of rain fall due to effect on hydrological cycle
 Expansion of deserts
 Climate change and depletion of water table
 Loss of biodiversity ,flora and fauna
 Environmental changes and disturbance in forest ecosystems

4.Case studies

1. Jhum cultivation

Jhum Agriculture or shifting agriculture has destroyed large number of hectares of forest tracts
in North-Eastern states and Orissa. Jhum agriculture is subsidence agriculture in which tract of
forest land is cleared by cutting trees and it is used for cultivation. After few years, when
productivity of the land decreases, cultivators abandon the land and clear next tract. As a result
of this practise, combined with increasing population there is rapid deforestation as more and
more cultivators clear forest to cultivate land. Also, with increase in population

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there is cultivators are forced to return to previous tracts of land in relatively shorter
durations, not allowing the land to regain its productivity.

2. Chipko movement

The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan is a social-ecological movement that practised the
Gandhian methods of satyagraha and non-violent resistance, through the act of hugging trees
to protect them from being felled. The modern Chipko movement started in the early 1970s in
the Garhwal Himalayas of Uttarakhand,with growing awareness towards rapid deforestation.
The landmark event in this struggle took place on March 26, 1974, when a group of peasant
women in Reni village, Hemwalghati, in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India, acted to prevent
the cutting of trees and reclaim their traditional forest rights that were threatened by the
contractor system of the state Forest Department. Their actions inspired hundreds of such
actions at the grassroots level throughout the region. By the 1980s the movement had spread
throughout India and led to formulation of people-sensitive forest policies, which put a stop to
the open felling of trees in regions as far reaching as Vindhyas and the Western Ghats.

3. Western himalayan region.

Over the last decade, there has been widespread destruction and degradation of forest resources
in Himalayas, especially western Himalayas. This has resulted in various problems such as
erosion of top soil, irregular rainfall, changing weather patterns and floods. Construction of
roads on hilly slopes, have not only undermined their stability, but also damaged protective
vegetation and forest cover. Tribes in these areas are increasingly facing shortage of firewood
and timber, due large-scale tree cutting. Increased traffic volumes on these roads leads to
increased pollution in the area.

5. Timber extraction

There has been unlimited exploitation of timber for commercial use. Due to increased
industrial demand; timber extraction has significant effect on forest and tribal people.

Logging

 Poor logging results in degraded forest and may lead to soil erosion especially on
slopes.
 New logging roads permit shifting cultivators and fuel wood gatherers to gain access
to the logging area.
 Loss of long-term forest productivity
 Species of plants and animals may be eliminated
 Exploitation of tribal people by contractor.

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6. Mining

Major effects of mining operations on forest and tribal people are:

 Mining from shallow deposits is done by surface mining while that from deep deposits
is done by sub-surface mining. It leads to degradation of lands and loss of topsoil. It is
estimated that about eighty-thousand-hectare land is under stress of mining activities in
India
 Mining leads to drying up perennial sources of water sources like spring and streams in
mountainous area.
 Mining and other associated activities remove vegetation along with underlying soil
mantle, which results in destruction of topography and landscape in the area. Large
scale deforestation has been reported in Mussorie and Dehradun valley due to
indiscriminating mining.
 The forested area has declined at an average rate of 33% and the increase in non- forest
area due to mining activities has resulted in relatively unstable zones leading to
landslides.
 Indiscriminate mining in forests of Goa since 1961 has destroyed more than 50000 ha
of forest land. Coal mining in Jharia, Raniganj and Singrauli areas has caused extensive
deforestation in Jharkhand.
 Mining of magnetite and soapstone have destroyed 14 ha of forest in hilly slopes of
Khirakot, Kosi valley and Almora.
 Mining of radioactive minerals in Kerala, Tamilnadu and Karnataka are posing similar
threats of deforestation.
 The rich forests of Western Ghats are also facing the same threat due to mining projects
for excavation of copper, chromites, bauxite and magnetite.

7. Effects of dams on forests and tribal people

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru referred dam and valley projects as “Temples of modern India”. These
big dams and rivers valley projects have multi-purpose uses. However, these dams are also
responsible for the destruction of forests. They are responsible for degradation of catchment
areas, loss of flora and fauna, increase of water borne diseases, disturbance in forest
ecosystems, rehabilitation and resettlement of tribal peoples.

 India has more than 1550 large dams, the maximum being in the state of Maharashtra
(more than 600), followed by Gujarat (more than 250) and Madhya Pradesh (130).
 The highest one is Tehri dam, on river Bhagirathi in Uttaranchal and the largest in terms
of capacity is Bhakra dam on river Satluj in Himachal Pradesh. Big dams have been in
sharp focus of various environmental groups all over the world, which is mainly
because of several ecological problems including deforestation and socio- economic
problems related to tribal or native people associated with them.

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  The Silent valley hydroelectric project was one of the first such projects situated in
the tropical rain forest area of Western Ghats which attracted much concern of the
people.
 The crusade against the ecological damage and deforestation caused due to Tehri dam
was led by Shri. Sunder Lal Bahaguna, the leader of Chipko Movement.
 The cause of Sardar Sarovar Dam related issues have been taken up by the
environmental activitistMedha Patkar, joined by Arundhati Ray and Baba Amte. For
building big dams, large scale devastation of forests takes place which breaks the
natural ecological balance of the region.
 Floods, droughts and landslides become more prevalent in such areas. Forests are the
repositories of invaluable gifts of nature in the form of biodiversity and by destroying
them (particularly, the tropical rain forests), we are going to lose these species even
before knowing them. These species could be having marvellous economic or
medicinal value and deforestation results in loss of this storehouse of species which
have evolved over millions of years in a single stroke.

8. Forest conservation and management

Forest is one of the most valuable resources and thus needs to be conserved. To conserve
forest, the following steps should be taken

1. Conservation of forest is a national problem; thus, it should be tackled with

perfectcoordination between concerned government departments.
2. People should be made aware of importance of forest and involved in forest
conservation activities.
3. The cutting of trees in the forests for timber should be stopped.
4. A forestation programmes should be launched
5. Grasslands should be regenerated.
6. Forest conservation Act should be strictly implemented to check deforestation.
7. Awards should be instituted for the deserving

(III) Water Resources

Water is an indispensable resource for life on earth. Approximately 70.8 % surface of earth is
covered with water in the form of oceans. Out of this, about 97% is not fit for human
consumption, about 2% is locked as a glacier and only less than 1% available as fresh water
that can be used for human consumption and other uses.

Water is a very important source and essential for life because it has very unique characteristic
such as
1. Water exists as liquid over a wide range of temperature 0-1000C with highest specific heat
and latent heat of vaporization.

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2. Water is excellent solvent and act as carrier of nutrient and helps to distribute them to the
cells in the body, regulates the body temperature and support structure and can dissolve various
pollutant and can act as carrier of large number of microorganisms
3. It is responsible for hydrological cycle which acts as resource of water to the earth. It is
estimated that about 1.4 inch thick layer of water evaporates and majority of water returns to
earth through hydrological cycle.

Water is renewable, but its overuse and pollution make it unfit for use. Sewage, industrial
use, chemicals, etc. pollute water with nitrates, metals, and pesticides.

Use of Water Resources

Water resources are used for agricultural, industrial, domestic, recreational, and
environmental activities. Majority of the uses require fresh water. However, about 97 percent
of water found on the earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water. A little over two-
thirds of the available fresh water is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The remaining
freshwater is found mainly as groundwater and a negligible portion of it is present on the
ground or in the air.

Following is a brief account of how water is used in different sectors.

(i) Agricultural Use: Agriculture accounts for 69 percent of all water consumption basically
in agricultural economies like India. Agriculture, therefore, is the largest consumer of the
Earth’s available freshwater.

By 2050, the global water demand of agriculture is estimated to increase by a further 19% due
to irrigational needs. Expanding irrigation needs are likely to put undue pressure on water
storage. It is still inconclusive whether further expansion of irrigation, as well as additional
water withdrawals from rivers and groundwater, will be possible in future.

(ii) Industrial Use: Water is the lifeblood of the industry. It is used as a raw material coolant,
a solvent, a transport agent, and as a source of energy. Manufacturing industries account for a
considerable share in the total industrial water consumption. Besides, paper and allied products,
chemicals and primary metals are major industrial users of water.

Worldwide, the industry accounts for 19 percent of total consumption. In industrialized

countries, however, industries use more than half of the water available for human use.

(iii) Domestic Use: It includes drinking, cleaning, personal hygiene, garden care, cooking,
washing of clothes, dishes, vehicles, etc. Since the end of World War II there has been a
trend of people moving out of the countryside to the ever-expanding cities. This trend has important
implications on our water resources.

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Government and communities have had to start building large water-supply systems to
deliver water to new populations and industries. Of all water consumption in the world,
domestic use accounts for about 12 percent.

(iv) Use for Hydropower Generation: Electricity produced from water is hydropower.
Hydropower is the leading renewable source of electricity in the world. It accounts for
about 16 percent of total electricity generation globally. There are many opportunities
for hydropower development throughout the world.

Today, the leading hydropower generating countries are China, the US, Brazil, Canada,
India, and Russia.

(v) Use for Navigation and Recreation: Navigable waterways are defined as watercourses that
have been or may be used for transport of interstate or foreign commerce. Agricultural and
commercial goods are moved on water on a large scale in a number of regions in the world.

Water is also used for recreational purposes such as boating, swimming, and sporting
activities. These uses affect the quality of water and pollute it. Highest priority should be given
to public health and drinking water quality while permitting such activities in reservoirs, lakes,
and rivers.

Over-Exploitation of Water
Water scarcity has become a burning global issue. The UN has held several conventions on
water in recent decades. Continuous overutilization of surface and ground water has led to
virtual water scarcity in the world today.

The depleting sources for high growth in human population over the centuries and increased
man-induced water pollution across the world have created unforeseen water scarcity around
the globe. As a result, there has been continuous overutilization of the existing water sources
due to mammoth growth in world population.

(i) Surface water

Surface water mainly comes directly from rain or snow covers. The various surface sources are
natural lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, artificial reservoirs. Availability of surface water
decides the economy of the country. On one side surface water availability affects the
productivity, but on the other side water sources may cause floods and drought. Due to unequal
distribution, water may lead to national (interstate) or international disputes. Sharing

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of surface water due to these disputes is affecting productivity of different agro eco-zone and
creating problems for government.

(ii) Ground water

Groundwater is the major source of water in many parts of the world. However, there has
been continuous depletion of this source due to its overexploitation by rising human population
and the rapid rise in industrialization and urbanization in modern times.About 9.86% of the
total fresh water resources are in the form of groundwater and it is about 35-50 times that of
surface water supplies.

Effects of extensive and reckless groundwater usage:

1. Subsidence
2. Lowering of water table
3. Water logging

Consequences of Over-utilization

Water scarcity now becomes an important topic in international diplomacy. From village to
the United Nations, water scarcity is a widely-discussed topic in decision making.

Nearly three billion people in the world suffer from water scarcity. International, intrastate and
regional rivalries on water are not new to world. The ongoing Jordan River conflict, Nile River
conflict, and Aral Sea conflict are cases in point. The intra-state issues such as CauveryWater
dispute in South India, 2000 Cochabamba protests in Bolivia is still a simmering cauldron
causing periodic tension at the national and regional levels.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) sources, a combination of rising global

population, economic growth and climate change means that by 2050 five billion (52%) of
the world’s projected 9.7 billion people will live in areas where fresh water supply is under
pressure. Researchers expect about 1 billion more people to be living in areas where water
demand exceeds surface-water supply.

(i) Climate Change

Scientists, environmentalists, and biologists worldwide are now alarmed that climate change
can have an impact on the drainage pattern and hydrological cycle on the earth thereby severely
affecting the surface and groundwater availability.
Climate change is believed to rise the global temperature at an increasing pace. Temperature
increase affects the hydrological cycle by directly increasing evaporation of available surface
water and vegetation transpiration.
As a result, precipitation amount, timing and intensity rates are largely affected. It impacts the
flux and storage of water in surface and subsurface reservoirs.

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(ii) Floods & Droughts
Floods and droughts are two well-known natural hazards in the world. The former is due to
excess in water flow and the latter is due to scarcity of water.
The amount of rainfall received by an area varies from one place to another depending on the
location of the place. In some places it rains almost throughout the year whereas in other places
it might rain for only few days. India records most of its rainfall in the monsoon season.
Heavy rains lead to rise in the water level of rivers, seas, and oceans. Water gets accumulated
in the coastal areas, which results in floods. Floods bring in extensive damage to crops,
domestic animals, property and human life. During floods, many animals get carried away by
the force of water and eventually die.
On the other hand, droughts set in when a particular region goes without rain for a long
period of time. In the meantime, the soil will continuously lose groundwater by the process of
evaporation and transpiration. Since this water is not brought back to earth in the form of rains,
the soil becomes very dry.
The level of water in the ponds and rivers goes down and in some cases water bodies get dried
up completely. Ground water becomes scarce and this leads to droughts. In drought conditions,
it is very difficult to get food and fodder for the survival. Life gets difficult and many animals
perish in such conditions.
Frequent floods and droughts are mostly due to climate change and global warming. Various
environmental organizations world over are of the view that climate change is a long-term
change in weather patterns, either in average weather conditions or in the distribution of
extreme weather events.

Major Water Conflicts

Some of the major water conflicts that have become thorn in relations between states and
countries are

(1) Water conflict in the middle-east

Countries involved are Sudan, Egypt and Turkey. It also affects countries which are water
starved viz. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Israel and Jordan.

(2) The Indus water treaty

This Indus water treaty dispute between India and Pakistan is lingering since long.

(3) The Cauvery water dispute

It involves two major states of India viz. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

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(4) The Satluj-Yamuna link canal dispute

The dispute is between two Northern states viz. Punjab and Haryana and UP, Rajasthan as well
as Delhi has also interest in it.
In traditional water management, innovative arrangements ensure equitable distribution of
water, which are democratically implemented. These disputes can be solved amicably through
‘Gram Panchayats”, if transparency is maintained. But disputes between countries or states
sometimes attain war like situation and are difficult to solve.

Dams - Benefits and Problems

Water is a precious resource and its scarcity is increasing at global level. There is a pressure
to utilize surface water resources efficiently for different purposes. Dam, structure built across
a stream, a river, or an estuary to retain water. Dams are built to provide water for human
consumption, for irrigating arid and semiarid lands, or for use in industrial processes.

Major benefits of dams

The major benefits of dams are
1. Hydroelectricity generation
2. Year-round water supply to ensure higher productivity
3. Equal water distribution by transferring water from area of excess to area of deficit
4. Helps flood control and protects soil
5. Assure irrigation during dry periods
6. River valley projects provide inland water navigation, employment opportunities and
canbe used to develop fish hatcheries and nurseries
7. River valley projects have tremendous potential for economic upliftment and will
help toraise the standard of living and can help to improve the quality of life

Disadvantages/problems
Although dams have proved very useful over the centuries but recent past big dams has
created lot of human as well as environmental issues

1. Submergence of large areas may lead to loss of fertile soil and displacement of
tribal people
2. Salt left behind due to evaporation increase the salinity of river water and makes it
unusable when reaches down stream
3. Siltation and sedimentation of reservoirs not only makes dams use less but also is
responsible for loss of valuable nutrients
4. Loss of non-forest land leads to loss of flora and fauna
5. Changes in fisheries and the spawning grounds
6. Stagnation and water logging near reservoir leads to breeding of vectors and
spread ofvector-borne diseases
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 7. Growth of aquatic weeds may lead to microclimatic changes.

(IV) ENERGY RESOURCES

Energy Scenario

Energy is a key input in the economic growth and there is a close link between the availability
of energy and the future growth of a nation. Power generation and energyconsumption are
crucial to economic development.
In India, energy is consumed in a variety of forms such as fuel wood; animal waste and
agricultural residues are the traditional sources of energy. These non-commercial fuels are
gradually getting replaced by commercial fuels i.e. coal, petroleum products, natural gas and
electricity.
Out of total energy, commercial fuels account for 60% whereas the balance 40% is coming
from non-commercial fuels. Of the total commercial energy produced in the form of power or
electricity,
69% is from coal (thermal power),
25% is from hydel power,
4% is from diesel and gas,
2% is from nuclear power, and
Less than 1% from non- conventional sources like solar, wind, ocean, biomass, etc.
Petroleum and its products are the other large sources of energy. In a developing country like
India, in spite of enhanced energy production, there is still shortage due to increased demand
of energy. In spite of the fact that there is a phenomenal increase in power generating
capacity, still there is 30% deficit of about 2,000 million units.
Policy makers are in the process of formulating an energy policy with the objectives of ensuring
adequate energy supply at a minimum cost, achieving self-sufficiency in energy supplies and
protecting environment from adverse impact of utilizing energy resources in an injudicious
manner. The main features of this policy are
 Accelerated exploitation of domestic conventional energy resources, viz., oil, coal,
hydro and nuclear power;
 Intensification of exploration to achieve indigenous production of oil and gas;
 Efficient management of demand of oil and other forms of energy;
 To formulate efficient methods of energy conservation and management;
 Optimization of utilization of existing capacity in the country
 Development and exploitation of renewable sources of energy to meet energy
requirements of rural communities;
 Organization of training for personnel engaged at various levels in the energy sector.
 Government private partnership to exploit natural energy resources

Renewable Resources
The resources that can be replenished through rapid natural cycles are known as renewable
resource. These resources are able to increase their abundance through reproduction and
utilization of simple substances.
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Examples of renewable resources are plants (crops and forests),and animals who are being
replaced from time to time because they have the power of reproducing and maintain life
cycles.
Some examples of renewable resources though they do not have life cycle but can berecycled
are wood and wood-products, pulp products, natural rubber, fibres (e.g. cotton, jute, animal
wool, silk and synthetic fibres) and leather.
In addition to these resources, water and soil are also classified as renewable resources. Solar
energy although having a finite life, as a special case, is considered as a renewable resource
in as much as solar stocks is inexhaustible on the human scale.

Non-Renewable Resources
The resources that cannot be replenished through natural processes are known as non-
renewable resources.
These are available in limited amounts, which cannot be increased. These resources include
fossil fuels (petrol, coal etc.), nuclear energy sources (e.g. uranium, thorium, etc). metals (iron,
copper, gold, silver, lead, zinc etc.), minerals and salts (carbonates, phosphates, nitrates etc.).
Once a non-renewable resource is consumed, it is gone forever. Then we have to find a
substitute for it or do without it.
Non-renewable resources can further be divided into two categories, viz. Recyclable and non-
recyclable
(1) Recyclable resources

These are non-renewable resources, which can be collected after they are used and can be
recycled. These are mainly the non-energy mineral resources, which occur in the earth’s crust
(e.g. ores of aluminium, copper, mercury etc.) and deposits of fertilizer nutrients (e.g.
phosphate sock and potassium and minerals used in their natural state (asbestos, clay, mica
etc.)

(2) Non-recyclable resources

These are non-renewable resources, which cannot be recycled in any way. Examples of these
are fossil fuels and nuclear energy sources (e.g. uranium, etc) which provide 90 per cent of our
energy requirements.

Use of Alternate Energy Sources

There is a need to develop renewable energy sources which are available and could be utilized
(solar or wind) or the sources which could be created and utilized (bio-mass). The main
renewable energy sources for India are solar, wind, hydel, waste and bio-mass. Bio- mass are
resources which are agriculture related like wood, bagasse, cow dung, seeds, etc.

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(1) Hydel energy

India has a total hydro energy potential of about 1.5 lakh MW, of which only about 20 % is
installed. Small hydro plant potential is about 15000 MW and most of it is in the northern and
eastern hilly regions.

(2) Wind energy

The wind power potential of India is about 45,000 MW out of which capacity of 8748 MW has
been installed in India till 2008. India is one of the leading countries in generating the power
through wind energy.

Gujarat, AP, Karnataka, MP and Rajasthan are states having more than 5000 MW potential
each. These potentials could be improved if the technology of putting turbines in sea is
embraced. There are wind farms on sea generating as high as 160 MW of power.

(3) Geothermal energy

Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth. Thermal energy is the
energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from
the original formation of the planet (20%) and from radioactive decay of minerals (80%).
Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, but has
historically been limited to areas near tectonic plate boundaries. Recent technological advances
have dramatically expanded the range and size of viable resources, especially for applications
such as home heating, opening a potential for widespread exploitation. Geothermal wells
release greenhouse gases trapped deep within the earth, but these emissionsare much lower per
energy unit than those of fossil fuels. As a result, geothermal power has the potential to help
mitigate global warming if widely deployed in place of fossil fuels.

(4) Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC)

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) uses the difference between cooler deep and
warmer shallow or surface ocean waters to run a heat engine and produce useful work, usually
in the form of electricity. A heat engine gives greater efficiency and power when run with a
large temperature difference. In the oceans the temperature difference between surface and
deep water is greatest in the tropics, although still a modest 20 to 25 °C. It is therefore in the
tropics that OTEC offers the greatest possibilities. OTEC has the potential to offer global
amounts of energy that are 10 to 100 times greater than other ocean energy options such as
wave power

(5) Biomass energy

Biomass is the oldest means of energy used by humans along with solar energy. As soon as
the fire was discovered, it was used widely among humans mainly for heat and light. Fire was

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generated using wood or leaves, which is basically a biomass. The biomass could be used to
generate steam or power or used as a fuel. Power is generated using rice husk in Andhra
Pradesh, while several bagasse based plants are there. India has a potential of 3500 MW from
bagasse. Other fast growing plants could be planned over a huge area, so that it provides
biomass for generating power.

Organic waste such as dead plant and animal material, animal dung, and kitchen waste can be
converted by the anaerobic digestion or fermentation into a gaseous fuel called biogas.Biogas
is a mixture of 65% methane (CH4) and of 35% CO2 and may have small amounts of hydrogen
sulphide (H2S), moisture and siloxanes. It is a renewable energy resulting from biomass. Biogas
can be used as a fuel in any country for any heating purpose, such as cooking. It can also be
used in anaerobic digesters where it is typically used in a gas engine to convert the energy in
the gas into electricity and heat. Biogas can be compressed, much like natural gas, and used to
power motor vehicles.

(6) Bio-fuels

India has more than 50 million hectare of wasteland, which could be utilized for cultivating
fuel plants. Jatropha is one of the options which can be planted on arid lands and be used for
production of bio fuels.

(7) Solar energy

India being a tropical country has potential to use solar energy on commercial bases. According
to estimates, 35 MW of power could be generated from one sq km. With such potential, solar
energy has bright future as energy source for the development of the country. Initial cost is the
biggest limitation which has led to the low realization of its potential. For solar energy to
become one of the front runners, it will require lot of research, cheap technology and low
capital.

Problems Relate To the Use of Energy Resources

(1) Fossil fuel

• Global warming
• Acid rains
• Dangers posed by leaded fuels ,Oil spills
• Water pollution caused by poorly managed coal mines
• Air pollution.

(2) Alternate energy resources

• The initial cost of establishment of alternate energy generation is costlier than conventional
resources.

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• Maintenance of these structures is difficult.
• It requires more space.
• Energy supply is unpredictable during natural calamities.

Growing Energy Needs

Energy consumption of a nation is usually considered as an index of its development, because

almost all the development activities are directly or indirectly dependent upon energy. Power
generation and energy consumption are crucial to economic development as economy of any
nation depends upon availability of energy resources. There are wide disparities in per capita
energy use of developed and the developing nations. With increased speed of development in
the developing nations energy needs are also increasing.
 The very original form of energy technology probably was the fire, which produced
heat and the early man used it for cooking and heating purposes.
 Wind and hydropower has also been used. Invention of steam engineers replaced the
burning of wood by coal and coal was further replaced by oil.
 The oil producing has started twisting arms of the developed as well as developing
countries by dictating the prices of oil and other petroleum products.
 Energy resources are primarily divided into two categories viz. renewable and non-
renewable sources.
 Renewable energy resources must be preferred over the non-renewable resources.
 It is inevitable truth that now there is an urgent need of thinking in terms of alternative
sources of energy, which are also termed as non-conventional energy sources which
include:
 Solar energy needs equipment such as solar heat collectors, solar cells, solar cooker,
solar water heater, solar furnace and solar power plants.
 Wind energy
 Hydropower, Tidal energy, ocean thermal energy, geothermal energy, biomass,
biogas, biofuels etc.

 The non-renewable energy sources include coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear
energy.

Case Study

Importance of the energy resources in present economy and as a base for our future can be
underlined by the fact that recent confrontations between some powerful nations of the world
have primarily been attributed driven by objective to secure their energy supplies. Examples of
this have been the two gulf wars. It was the hunger for energy resources that drove Iraq to lead
an offensive over Kuwait and also reason for second Gulf war has been attributed to energy
security by defense experts. In recent times, world has witnessed a confrontation at

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South China Sea between India, Vietnam and China over the issue of exploring natural gas
and petroleum under the sea bed.

Cauvery – The River:

Cauvery, which is locally known as Kaveri, is a large river that flows through the southern
states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The river has its origin at Talakaveri, Kodagu in
Karnataka and empties itself into the Bay of Bengal through Poompuhar in Tamilnadu. The
river has enjoyed social, economic, political religious and even cultural importance in the life
of people from both the states that are currently fighting over its water.

Cauvery Water Dispute

The Cauvery River has been a source of conflict between the states of Karnataka and Tamil
Nadu for over 124 years. The primary quarrel, in this case, has always been about the sharing
and distribution of water of Cauvery River between the two states. Over the years, repeated
attempts from both the states and central governments have failed to resolve this dispute which
has now transformed into regional conflict now. The Cauvery Water Dispute has become a
very sensitive topic for common people of both the states who now regard treat itas a fight
for regional supremacy between the two states.

 Cauvery water is vitally important for both the states as people from Karnataka depend
upon it to satisfy their drinking needs, whereas farmers from Cauvery delta in Tamil
Nadu depend upon it for agriculture and livelihood.

 The fight for Cauvery river water become even more important during rainfall deficient
years, as the entire basin delta of the Cauvery River falls under the drought prone area.
Therefore, Cauvery river water is the only source of water in this region.

 As far as water resources are concerned, around 53% of Cauvery water resources fall
withinthe geographic boundaries of Karnataka, whereas only 30% of water resources fall
within the geographical borders of Tamil Nadu.

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  On the other hand, 54% of river basin area (the portion of land drained by the river) lies
in the state of Tamil Nadu, whereas only 42% of Cauvery river basin area is in Karnataka.

 As per the facts provided above, Karnataka claims more rights over Cauvery water as the
river originates in the state and they hold 53% of water resources fall within their state.

 Similarly, Tamil Nadu has been traditionally and historically dependent on Cauvery
water to meet the irrigation needs in the northern part of the state. In addition to this, they
also have larger share of river basin area and have been using more water from Cauvery
historically, which has translated into demand for more water from Karnataka.

JNNSM Introduction

The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission was launched on the 11th January, 2010 by our
Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh. The Mission has set the ambitious target of deploying
20,000 MW of grid connected solar power by 2022 and aims at reducing the cost of solar power
generation in the country through (i) long term policy; (ii) large scale deployment goals; (iii)
aggressive R&D; and (iv) domestic production of critical raw materials, components and
products. It has been envisaged to achieve grid tariff parity by 2022.

The Prime Minister has emphasized the importance of the mission as:

“The importance of this Mission is not just limited to providing large-scale grid connected
power. It has the potential to provide significant multipliers in our efforts for transformation of
India's rural economy. Already, in its decentralized and distributed applications, solar energy
is beginning to light the lives of tens of millions of India's energy-poor citizens. The rapid
spread of solar lighting systems, solar water pumps and other solar power-based rural
applications can change the face of India's rural economy. We intend to significantly expand
such applications through this Mission. As a result, the movement for decentralized and
disbursed industrialization will acquire an added momentum, a momentum which has not been
seen before.”
Revision of cumulative targets under National Solar Mission from 20,000 MW by 2021-22 to
1, 00, 000 MW

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its
approval for stepping up of India’s solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Solar Mission (JNNSM) by five times, reaching 1,00,000 MW by 2022. The target
will principally comprise of 40 GW Rooftop and 60 GW through Large and Medium Scale

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Grid Connected Solar Power Projects. With this ambitious target, India will become one of the
largest Green Energy producers in the world, surpassing several developed countries.
The total investment in setting up 100 GW will be around Rs. 6, 00, 000 Cr. In the first phase,
the Government of India is providing Rs 15,050 crore as capital subsidy to promote solar
capacity addition in the country. This capital subsidy will be provided for Rooftop Solar
projects in various cities and towns, for Viability Gap Funding (VGF) based projects to be
developed through the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and for decentralized
generation through small solar projects. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
intends to achieve the target of 1,00,000 MW with targets under the three schemesof 19,200
MW.

Apart from this, solar power projects with investment of about Rs 90,000 crore would be
developed using Bundling mechanism with thermal power. Further investment will come from
large Public Sector Undertakings and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). State Governments
have also come out with State specific solar policies to promote solar capacity addition.
Scaling up of Grid Connected Solar Power Projects from 20,000 MW by the year 2021-22, to
1,00,000 MW by the year 2021-22 under National Solar Mission

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