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Natural Resources

Natural Resources. Presented by: Dr. Swati Dixit. What is a Resource???. Life on this planet earth depends on a variety of goods and services provided by the nature, which are known as Natural Resources . Any stock or reserve that can be drawn from nature is a Natural Resource

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Natural Resources

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  1. Natural Resources Presented by: Dr. Swati Dixit

  2. What is a Resource??? • Life on this planet earth depends on a variety of goods and services provided by the nature, which are known as Natural Resources. • Any stock or reserve that can be drawn from nature is a Natural Resource • Natural Resources of two Types: • Renewable Resources- they are in exhaustive and can be regenerated in a given span of time. E.g. Forests, wildlife, wind, biomass, tidal, hydro energies etc. • Non-Renewable Resources- they are exhaustive and cannot be regenerated. E.g. Fossil fuels- coal, petroleum, minerals, etc.

  3. Major Natural Resources Forest Resources Water Resources Mineral Resources Energy Resources Food Resources Land Resources

  4. Forest Resources Forests is green blanket covering the Earth About 1/3rd of the world’s land area is forested which includes closed as well as open forests. But the forest cover is depleting. Greatest losses have occurred in Tropical Asia, where one third of the forest is destroyed. Current Forest area of India: 24.1% (FSI report 2013)

  5. Uses of Forests

  6. Problems Over – Exploitation: Rapid & Excessive use of forest to meet human demands Deforestation: clearance or clearing is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a non-forest use.

  7. Over –Exploitation Due to wood cutting & large scale logging for raw material Deforestation due to road construction Forest clearing to convert it to Agricultural Land to meet food demands Encroachment of Forests Heavy grazing Mining activities Hydropower projects

  8. Causes of Deforestation Fuel Requirement Raw material for industries Shifting cultivation Development projects –dams Growing food needs Overgrazing Forest fires

  9. Consequences Existence of Species is affected- Natural Habitat Biodiversity is lost Hydrological cycle affected Soil erosion In hilly areas – Landslides Increase in Carbon levels…….Global Warming………

  10. Dams

  11. Dams- Controversial Issue

  12. Case studies Sardar Sarovar Dam Tehri Dam Silent Valley Chipko Movement

  13. Water Resources • Water is known as LIFE • Nearly 80% of body composition • Water is a chemical substance, a liquid at ambient conditions, often co-exists on earth with its solid state i.e ice, and gaseous state i.e water vapor or steam. • Properties: • Universal solvent- so it can be nutrient carrier, • High surface tension- so it can rise easily at great heights, • Anomalous expansion- it freezes, it expands instead of contacting.

  14. Basic Facts World oceans cover about 3/4th of earth’s surface. Fresh water constitutes a very small proportion of this enormous quantity. About 2.7 % of the total water available on the earth is fresh water of which about 79 % lies frozen in polar regions and another 20% is present as ground water. The rest is available in lakes, rivers, atmosphere, moisture, soil and vegetation

  15. Uses

  16. Water on the earth is in motion- The Hydrological Cycle

  17. Sources of Water…

  18. Ground Water • Water which percolates or infiltrates down in the ground • Huge source of fresh water. • Layer of sediment or rock that is highly permeable and contains water is an AQUIFER • Confined- Which are sandwiched between two impermeable layers of Rock/Sediments, Recharged where it intersects the land surface and • Unconfined aquifers- which are overlaid by permeable earth materials, recharged by water seeping down form surface.

  19. Effects of Excess Usage of Ground Water • Subsidence • When groundwater withdrawal is more than its recharge rate, the sediments in the aquifer get compacted, a phenomenon known as “groundwater subsidence”. • Lower of Water Table • Mining of water is done extensively in arid & semi-arid regions, which leads to lowering of water table. • Water Logging • When irrigation is done with Brackish water, water table level increases leading to logging • Water Pollution • Discharge and dumping of waste in water resources

  20. Floods Heavy Rainfall causes floods in low-lying areas coastal areas. Prolonged downpour cause overflow of rivers, lakes leading to floods. Anthropogenic Activities- Deforestation, overgrazing, mining, rapid industrialization. It is very regular feature in some North Eastern Parts of India & Bangladesh

  21. Flooded Areas……..

  22. Droughts When annual rainfall is below normal and less than evaporation, drought conditions are created. Meteorological Phenomenon Anthropogenic Causes:Grazing, deforestation, mining. Leads to desertification Proper crop plantation is a remedial measure.

  23. Conflicts over water • Unequal distribution is the major cause • Cauvery water dispute: • Cauvery River is contention between Karnataka & Tamil Nadu, and the problem is hundred years old. • The upstream is in Karnataka & downstream is in TN. • The TN people wants water-use regulated in Upstream, whereas the Karnataka people claims primacy over it. • June 2, 1990- Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal was set up. • Indus the water treaty- • established in 1960 • The Jhelum ,Chenab & Indus itself given to Pakistan while The Sutlej, Ravi & Beas to India • Sutlej-Yamuna link canal dispute • Issue between Punjab & Haryana

  24. Mineral Resources • Minerals are naturally occurring, inorganic, crystalline solids having a definite chemical composition & characteristics properties. • Composition of Mineral: • Silicon, oxygen, iron, magnessium, calcium, aluminium, etc. • Some common minerals like quartz, feldspar, biolite, dolomite, calcite, laterite, etc.

  25. Classification • Minerals classified based on their properties are of two types: • Metallic • Non-Metallic • Minerals are also classified as : • Critical – Essential for economy of Nation e.g. Iron, Aluminium, Gold, Copper, etc. • Strategic – Essential for defence of Country e.g. Manganese, Cobalt, Platinum, Chromium, etc.

  26. Mineral Distribution In India

  27. Uses- Metallic Minerals

  28. Uses- Non-Metallic Minerals

  29. Extraction

  30. Open-pit Mining

  31. Strip Mining

  32. Contour Strip Mining

  33. Mountaintop Mining

  34. Harmful Environmental Problem Devegetation and defacing of landscape Subsidence of land Ground water contamination Air pollution Surface water pollution Occupational health hazards

  35. 6 major problematic mines of India Jaduguda Uranium mines: Jharkhand Jharia coal mines: Jharkhand Sukinda Chromite mines: Orissa Kudremukh iron ore mines: Karnataka East coast bauxite mines: Orissa North eastern Coal fields: Assam

  36. Remedial measures Reduce, reuse, recycle New and improved mining technologies MICROBIAL LEACHING TECHNIQUE Restoration of mined lands Revegetation and stabilization.

  37. Land Resources The most important natural resource, upon which all human activity is based since time immemorial, is land. Land resource is our basic resource. Throughout history, we have drawn most of our sustenance and much of our fuel, clothing and shelter from the land. It is useful to us as a source of food, as a place to live, work and play. It is a productive economic factor in agriculture, forestry, grazing, fishing and mining. It is considered as a foundation of social prestige and is the basis of wealth and political power.

  38. Land Resources • Out of the total land area, as many as 175 million hectares suffer from degradation. • Land degradation is caused largely by soil erosion, but also by water logging and excessive salinity. • Most serious threat deforestation. • The exponentially growing population ----immense pressure • The high degree of degradation of existing land resources, the changing climate and increasing diversion of land from agricultural to non-agricultural uses have aggravated the problem. • The productivity of land has suffered to a great extent, beyond repair • India, being a large agrarian society, has, therefore, an enormous task to meet the growing demands for food, fuel, fiber together with environmental security for its people in the coming years.

  39. Problems • Soil Erosion • Water induced erosion • Wind induced erosion • Water Logging & Salinity • Desertification • Landslides

  40. Soil Erosion Means wearing of soil Defined as “the movement of soil components, especially surface-litter and top soil from one place to another.” It leads to loss of fertile soil layer

  41. Types • Two types of Soil Erosion: • Normal or geologic Erosion: Removal of top soil by natural processes- physical, biological & hydrological activities • Accelerated Erosion : mainly caused by anthropogenic activities like overgrazing, deforestation, mining. • Two factors : • Climatic Agents- Water & wind • Biotic Agents- Excessive grazing, deforestation, mining.

  42. Water Induced Soil Erosion Sheet Erosion: Uniform removal of thin layer of soil from large surface area. Rill Erosion: Due to rainfall finger like grooves or rills are formed, it is called rill erosion Gully Erosion: it is prominent in heavy rainfall, where deeper cavities or gullies are formed of U /V shaped. Slip Erosion: this occurs due to heavy rainfall on slopes of hills & mountains Stream bank Erosion :in rainy season, when fast running streams take a turn in some direction, they cut the soil and make caves in the banks.

  43. Wind Induced Soil Erosion Saltation: This occurs due to direct pressure of stormy wind and the soil particles of 1-1.5 mm diameter move up in vertical direction. Suspension: Here fine soil particles (less than 1 mm dia) which are suspended in air are picked and taken away to distant places. Surface Creep: Here larger particles (5-10 mm dia) creep over the soil surface along with wind.

  44. Conservation of Soil Erosion Conservational till farming Contour farming Terracing Strip Cropping Alley Cropping Wind breaks or Shelterbelts

  45. Conservational till farming Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking. Examples of draft-animal-powered or mechanized work include ploughing, etc

  46. Contour farming On gentle slopes horizontal rows of plants Helps slow down run off

  47. Terracing Done on steep slopes Extremely efficient to prevent run off. Good in high rainfall areas

  48. Strip cropping Alternate strips of crops with grasses or grass legume mixture Run off is retained by strip cover Also helps nitrogen fixing

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