The document discusses several issues related to natural resources in India including agricultural growth, groundwater usage, forests, and their development. It notes problems like soil salinity, water pollution, displacement of people, and damage to flora and fauna due to large irrigation projects. It also covers renewable and non-renewable resources as well as problems associated with forests, water, minerals, food, energy, and land resources.
The document discusses several issues related to natural resources in India including agricultural growth, groundwater usage, forests, and their development. It notes problems like soil salinity, water pollution, displacement of people, and damage to flora and fauna due to large irrigation projects. It also covers renewable and non-renewable resources as well as problems associated with forests, water, minerals, food, energy, and land resources.
The document discusses several issues related to natural resources in India including agricultural growth, groundwater usage, forests, and their development. It notes problems like soil salinity, water pollution, displacement of people, and damage to flora and fauna due to large irrigation projects. It also covers renewable and non-renewable resources as well as problems associated with forests, water, minerals, food, energy, and land resources.
The document discusses several issues related to natural resources in India including agricultural growth, groundwater usage, forests, and their development. It notes problems like soil salinity, water pollution, displacement of people, and damage to flora and fauna due to large irrigation projects. It also covers renewable and non-renewable resources as well as problems associated with forests, water, minerals, food, energy, and land resources.
Agricultural Growth The people must be acquainted with the methods to sustain and increase agricultural growth with damaging the environment. High yielding varieties have caused soil salinity and damage to physical structure of soil.
4. Need to Ground water
It is essential of rationalizing the use of groundwater. Factors like community wastes, industrial effluents and chemical fertilizers and pesticides have polluted our surface water and affected quality of the groundwater. It is essential to restore the water quality of our rivers and other water bodies as lakes are an important challenge. It so finding our suitable strategies for consecration of water, provision of safe drinking water and keeping water bodies clean which are difficult challenges is essential.
5. Development and Forests
Forests serve catchments for the rivers. With increasing demand of water, plan to harness the mighty river through large irrigation projects were made. Certainly, these would submerge forests; displace local people, damage flora and fauna. As such, the dams on the river Narmada, Bhagirathi and elsewhere have become areas of political and scientific Debate.
1.2 NATURAL RESOURCES
The word resource means a source of supply. The natural resources include water, air, soil, minerals, coal, forests, crops and wildlife are examples. All the resources are classified based on quantity, quality, re-usability, men’s activity and availability.
Natural resources are naturally occurring substances that are considered valuable in their relatively unmodified (natural) form. A natural resource’s value rests in the amount of the material available and the demand for it. The term was introduced to a broad audience by E.F. Schumacher in his 1970s book Small is Beautiful.
a) Renewable resource or inexhaustible resources
The renewable resources can maintain themselves or can be replaced if managed wisely. These resources are constantly renewed in nature. The renewable resources are therefore not likely to be lost due to excessive and unwise use.
b) Non-renewable resources or exhaustible resources
These resources once used are lost forever, as they are not restored. They include metallic minerals and fossil fuels. At current rates of usage, all the industrial metals may lose for less than a century and those of petroleum and natural gas may exhaust in 15-20 years.
Natural Resources and Associated Problems
Human population is growing day-by-day. Continuous increase in population caused an
increasing demand for natural resources. Due to urban expansion, electricity need and industrialization, man started utilizing natural resources at a much larger scale. Non-renewable resources are limited. They cannot be replaced easily. After some time, these resources may come to an end. It is a matter of much concern and ensures a balance between population growth and utilization of resources. This overutilization creates many problems. In some regions there
6 are problems of water logging due to over irrigation. In some areas, there is no sufficient water for industry and agriculture. Thus, there is need for conservation of natural resources.
There are many problems associated with natural resources:
Forest resources and associated problems
1. Use and over-exploitation. 2. Deforestation. 3. Timber extraction. 4. Mining and its effects on forest. 5. Dams and their effects on forests and tribal people. Water resources and associated problems 1. Use and overutilization of water. 2. Floods, droughts etc. 3. Conflicts over water. 4. Dams and problems. Mineral resource and associated problems 1. Use and exploitation. 2. Environmental effects of extracting and using minerals. Food resources and associated problems 1. World food problems. 2. Changes caused by agriculture and over grazing. 3. Effects of modern agriculture. 4. Fertilizer-pesticide problems. 5. Water logging and salinity. Energy resources and associated problems 1. Growing energy needs. Land resources and associated problems 1. Land degradation. 2. Man-induced landslides. 3. Soil erosion and desertification.
1.3 FOREST RESOURCES
Forests are one of the most important natural resources and a part of biosphere since these are natural assets on this earth. Forests predominantly composed of trees, shrubs, woody vegetation etc… Approximately 1/3rd of the earth’s total land area is covered by forests. Forests are important ecologically and economically. Ecologically forests are to be considered as earth’s lungs because they consume CO2 and release O2which is required for sustaining the life on this earth. The poisonous gas CO2 is absorbed by the trees of forests and reduces the global warming and helps to continue hydrological cycle, reduce soil erosion. Forest ecosystems are extremely good & hold a good quantity of water. Economically forests provide timber, fodder to grazing animals, firewood(conventional fuel), bamboos, rubbers, medicines, gums, resins, food items etc.
