Resources & Its Classification
We are surrounded with many resources like soil, wood, solar panels, Mountains, Sun, windmill, coal, papers and many more. Resource is defined as everything available in our environment which can be used to satisfy our needs.
Classification of Resources
Resources can be classified as Natural & Human. Natural resources can be classified as Renewable and Nonrenewable. Renewable resources can be classified as Continuous and Biological. Biological resources can be classified as Natural Vegetation and Wildlife.Non-renewable resources can be classified as Recyclable and non Recyclable.Human resources can be classified as Structures, Institutions, Quantity and Quality.Natural resources comes from nature that is Soil, Coal, Sunlight and Water.
Renewable Resources are the resources which can be renewed or reproduced by physical, chemical or mechanical processes. Non-renewable Resources are the resources which requires millions of years in their formation i.e. Coal, Oil, Fossil fuels, and Natural Gas. Continuous Resources are the resources whose availability is unaffected by their use by humans. E.g. Solar energy, wind energy, and water. Natural vegetation are the plants that does not need help from humans to grow that is forests and grasses.
Types of Resources. There are 4 types of resources –
1.On the Basis of Origin : There are 2 types
1.Biotic Resources – Resources obtained from biosphere and have life.
E.g : Plants,animals,human beings
2.Abiotic Resources – Resources composed of nonliving things.
E.g: Water,minerals,metals,wind,solar energy
2.On the Basis of Exhaustibility :
There are 2 types
1.Renewable Resources – Resources which can be renewed or reproduced by physical, Chemical or Mechanical processes. E.g : Water,wind,solar energy,forests and Wildlife.
2.Non-Renewable Resources – Resources which requires millions of years in their formation.
E.g – Minerals,Fossil fuels.
3.On the Basis of Ownership :
1.Individual Resources – Resources owned by individuals privately.
E.g – Plantation,Pasture lands,water in wells.
2.Community Owned Resources – Resources accessible to all the members of community.
E.g – Park,picnic spot, Playgrounds,village ponds.
3.National Resources – Resources belonging to nation. i.e water,mineral and forest. 4.International Resources – Resources regulated by some international institutions and no individual country can utilise these without concurrence of international institutions.
4.On the Basis of Status of Development :
1.Potential Resources – Resources which are found in a region but have not been utilised.
E.g – Rajasthan and Gujarat have potential for development of wind and solar energy but yet it is not developed.
2.Developed Resources – Resources which are developed and their quality and quantity have been determined for utilisation. E.g – 1.India’s first solar park at Charanka village, Gujarat.
2.Muppandal wind farm, Tamil Nadu.
3.Stock – Resources which are available in nature but human beings do not have the technology to access it.
E.g – [Water = Hydrogen + Oxygen] is a rich source of energy i.e compound of two
inflammable gases but we don’t have technology to use them.
4.Reserves- Resources which are used for meeting the future requirements.E.g – 1.River water can be used for generating hydroelectric power but presently it is being utilised to a limited extent.
2.Water in dams,forests.
Need of Resource Planning
There are regions which are rich in certain types of resources but lack in other resources. Hence,Resource planning is needed.
| State | Rich in | Lack in |
| Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh,MP | Minerals and Coal Deposits | – |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Water Resource | Infrastructural Development |
| Rajasthan | Solar and Wind Energy | Water resource |
| Ladakh | Cultural Heritage( monuments, paintings etc) | Water resource,infrastructure,vital minerals |
Process of Resource Planning :
1.Identifying, inventing, surveying, mapping, qualitative and quantitative measurement and
estimation of the resources across regions of the country.
2.Planning a structure which includes technology, skills and institutional set up for
implementing resource development plans.
3.Matching resource development plans with overall national development plans.
Conservation of Resources :
Resources are vital for development of any region. Irrational consumption and over utilisation of resources results in socio-economic and environmental problems and to overcome this, conservation of resources is used.(Dam)
Words of Gandhiji : “There is enough for everybody’s need and not for any body’s greed”
According to him causes of depletion of resources are modern technology,greedy and selfish individuals.
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.’
E.g Solar and wind energy,Sustainable construction,Crop rotation,Water fixtures.
Land Resources are the resources which are available on land like natural Vegetation,wild life, human life,economic activities,transport and communication systems. Land is an asset of finite magnitude so it should be used with careful planning. 95% of our basic needs for food,shelter and clothing comes from land. India has 43% plains, 30% mountains and 27% plateaus.
| Land type | Percentage | Used for / Includes |
| Plain | 43% | Agriculture and industry |
| Mountains | 30% |
Perennial flow of some rivers,provides facilities for tourism and ecological aspects |
| Plateaus | 27% | Rich reserves of minerals, fossil fuels and forests |
Land Utilisation in India :
- Forests
- Around 22.8% of land is covered with forests.
2. Land not available for cultivation consists of
(a) Barren and wasteland which is 8.61% and (waste land e.g – rocky,arid,desert areas)
(b) Land put to non-agricultural uses is 5.57%. (e.g. buildings, roads, factories,settlements,railways). TTherefore total land not available for cultivation is 14.18%.
3. Other uncultivated land consists of
(a) Permanent pastures and grazing land which is 3.38%.
(b) Land under miscellaneous tree crops groves which is 1.11% and
(c) Culturable waste land which is 4.17%.
Therefore total other uncultivated land is 8.66%.
- Fallow lands
consists of
(a) Current fallow- which is the land not cultivated from less than one agricultural year which is 4.76%.
(b) Other than current fallow- that is the land left uncultivated for the past 1 to 5 agricultural years which constitutes 3.37%.
therefore total fallow land is 8.13%.
These lands are cultivated once or twice in about 2 to 3 years and if these are included in the NSA then the percentage of NSA in India comes to about 54 per cent of the total reporting area.
- Net sown area (NSA)
It is the Area sown more than once in an agricultural year plus net sown area which is also known as gross cropped area which is 46.24% available. In Punjab and Haryana have around 80% net sown area of total area.
Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman Nicobar Islands have less than 10 per cent net sown area of total area.
Use of land depends on Physical Factors, Human Factors. According to National Forest Policy(1952) lower than 33 % of geographical area is under forest. Land Degradation and Conservation Measures :
Degraded land in India = 130 million hectares. Out of which
56 % – water eroded area,
28 % – forest degraded area,
6% – Saline & Alkaline Deposits,
10 % – Wind Eroded Area.
Causes of Land Degradation :
| State | Causes |
| Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha | Deforestation due to mining caused severe land degradation |
|
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
Overgrazing is reason for land degradation. |
| Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, | Over irrigation is responsible for land degradation due to water logging leading to increase in salinity and alkalinity in soil |
Other Causes
1.Continuous use of land over a long period of time without taking appropriate measures to
conserve and manage it.
2.The mineral processing like grinding of limestone for cement 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.
3.Industrial effluents as waste causes land and water pollution.
Preventive Measures :
1.Afforestation
2.Proper management of grazing or Control on over-grazing
3.Planting of shelterbelts of plants
4.Stabilisation of sand dunes by growing thorny bushes
5.Proper management of waste lands
6.Control of mining activities
7.Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents and wastes after treatment
Soil formation takes million of years to form up to a few cm depth of soil. Some of the important factors for soil formation are parent rock, climate, organisms, topography and time.
Refer video to understand soil profile.
Classification of Soils
1.Alluvial Soils
2.Black Soil
3.Red and Yellow Soils
4.Laterite Soils
5.Arid Soils
6.Forest Soils
Soil is composed of 3 things : sand, silt and clay. Sand particles are the largest and tend to hold little water but allow good aeration. Clay particles are very small in size and tend to pack down so that water does not drain well and little or no air can penetrate. Silt particles are medium sized that are larger than clay but smaller than sand.Silty soil is slippery when wet, not grainy or rocky.
Soil Erosion – Removal of soil cover and washing away of soil.
Causes of soil erosion – Deforestation, overgrazing, construction & Mining,defective methods of farming, wind, glacier and water.
Terms related to Soil Erosion
1.Gullies – The running water cuts the clayey soils and makes deep channels called as gullies.
2.Bad land – The land after having gullies is unfit for cultivation and is known as bad land. Also known as ravines in Chambal basin.
3.Sheet erosion – Water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope and wash away the topsoil. This is known as sheet erosion.
4.Wind erosion – Wind blows and sloping land looses soil known as wind erosion.
5.Ploughing – Doing the soil up and down the slope, results in formation of channels for the quick flow of water which leads to soil erosion.
6.Contour Ploughing – Ploughing along the contour lines can decelerate the flow of water down the slopes.This is called contour ploughing.
Soil Conservation :
1.Terrace – Making of Steps on the slopes is known as terraces.Terrace cultivation reduces erosion. E.g Western and central Himalayas have well developed terrace farming.
2.Strip cropping – Large fields can be divided into strips. Strips of grass are left to grow between the crops. This breaks up the force of the wind. This method is known as strip cropping.
3.Shelterbelts – Trees are planted in lines to create shelter. These shelterbelts help in stabilisation of sand dunes e.g the desert in western India.