5M resource and development

 LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (5M)

1.What efforts were made for resource planning in the first five year plan?

Ans. (I) The availability of resources is a necessity condition for the development of any

religions. But

technologically knowledge is an important prerequisite for it.

(II) There are many regions in our country that are rich in resources but are economically

backward; whereas

there are some regions which have a poor resources base but are economically developed.

(III)Resources can contribute to development only when they are accompanied by

appropriate technological development.

(IV)In India, development or resource development does not only mean the availability of

resources but also the

technology, quality of human resources and the historical experiences of the people.

2. What are the causes of land degradation? What are the ways to solve this problem?

Ans. Causes of land degradation:

(I) Mining sites are abandoned after the Excavation work is done leaving deep scars of

overburdening. In state like Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,

deforestation due to mining has caused severe land degradation.

(II) Overgrazing in state like Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra is one of

the main reasons behind land degradation.

(III) Minerals processing like grinding of limestone for cement industry and calcite and

soapstone for ceramic industry generate huge quantities of dust in the atmosphere. It stops

the infiltration of water in the soil.

Ways to check land degradation:

(I) Afforestation and proper management of grazing can help to check land degradation.

(II) Planning of shelterbelts help in checking the sand causing land degradation near the

desert.

(III) Overgrazing can be checked and avoided.

(IV) Proper management of wastelands can be taken up.

3.What are the various methods of soil conservation?

Ans. Methods of soil conservation:

(I) Contour ploughing: ploughing along the contour lines can check the flow of water down

the slopes. It is called contour ploughing. It can be practiced on the hills.

(II) Terrace cultivation: steps can be cut out on the slopes making terrace. It restricts soil

erosion. It is practiced in Western and central Himalayas. 

(III) 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 wind. This method is called strip cropping.

(IV) Planting of shelter belts: planting lines of trees to create shelter also checks the soil

erosion.

Rows of such trees are called shelter belts. These shelter belts have contributed significantly

to the stabilization of sand dunes and in stabilizing the desert in Western India.

4. “Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state

boundaries”. Justify the statement.

Ans. (I) The increase in population of land, water, air, noise and resulting in degradation of

the environment

cannot be overlooked.

(II) Population of river waters affects all as most of the rivers pass through different states.

(III)Air pollution caused by the presence of high proportion of undesirable gases adversely

affects human health

and atmosphere as a whole.

(IV)Thermal pollution of river water affects the aquatic life introspective of state and national

boundaries.

5. Why do we need to conserve resources?

Ans.(I) The availability of resources is a necessary condition for the development of any

region.

(II)Resources are vital for any developmental activity.

(III)But irrigational consumption and over utilization of resources may lead to socio-

economic and environmental

problems.

(IV)To overcome these problems, resources conservation at various levels is important.

(V)If the present trend of resources depletion by the few individuals and countries continues

the future of our planet is in danger.

Therefore, we need to conserve resources for sustainable existence of all forms of life.