Questions
5
Q1
What is a resource? Explain the main ways in which resources are classified.
A resource is anything available in the environment that can satisfy human needs when it is technologically accessible, economically feasible, and culturally acceptable. Resources are classified by origin into biotic and abiotic, by exhaustibility into renewable and non-renewable, by ownership into individual, community, national, and international, and by status of development into potential, developed, stock, and reserves.
Q2
Why is resource planning necessary in India?
Resource planning is necessary because resources are unevenly distributed across India and many regions face either scarcity or misuse. Planning helps identify resources, match them with technology and institutions, prevent overuse, and use them in a sustainable way for present and future needs.
Q3
How is sustainable development connected with resource use?
Sustainable development means using resources to meet present needs without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It requires careful use of land, water, forests, minerals, and energy so that development does not cause long-term environmental damage or social inequality.
Q4
Explain land degradation and any major methods of land conservation.
Land degradation is the decline in the quality and productivity of land due to factors such as deforestation, overgrazing, mining, over-irrigation, and industrial waste. It can be reduced through afforestation, controlled grazing, proper irrigation, shelter belts, stabilising sand dunes, and treating industrial effluents before discharge.
Q5
Describe major soil types in India and why soil conservation is important.
India has major soil types such as alluvial, black, red and yellow, laterite, arid, and forest soils. Soil conservation is important because soil is the basis of agriculture and takes a long time to form. Erosion by water and wind can remove fertile topsoil, so contour ploughing, terrace farming, strip cropping, and shelter belts are used to protect it.