NATURAL RESOURCES AND ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS - LAND RESOURCES >> 1.What are natural resources?Ans. Many elements of the environment or ecosystem are utilized by human beings for their survival, comfort and betterment. Some of the useful elements are the gifts of nature and cannot be produced by man. These gifts are known as natural resources. 2.Give examples of natural resources.Ans. Natural vegetation, animal life, land, water and minerals constitute the natural resources of our country. 3.Why land is considered as a natural resource?Ans. Land is one of the natural resources. Men depend on land to satisfy most of their needs. For instance, it provides for more than 95% of human food requirement, greater part of clothing and housing and all needs of woods for fuel and construction. 4.Why all parts of land are not inhabited?Ans. About 90% of the world population which is over 6 billion occupies only 30% the land area. The remaining 70% of the land is either sparsely inhabited or uninhabited. Sparse inhabitations means 10% of population occupies the land area. The reason is that, this land is either too rocky or the climate is too dry, too wet, too hot or too cold. The topography of the land such as rugged and steep slopes of the mountain and low lying areas which are susceptible to water logging and extreme climate impose restrictions on land for human use. Deserts and grasslands of Asia and Africa, tropical forests of South America, Africa and South East Asia and polar areas are sparsely populated areas. These areas are inhabited by people, whose survival is based on hunting, gathering, herding and growing some crops. Antarctica is uninhabited except for temporary occupation by scientists for research purposes. Fertile plains and valleys are suitable for agriculture. That is why these areas are densely populated. 5.Describe the land use scenario in India.Ans. India has a total land area of about 328 million hectares. Over the past 8000 years our forefathers have succeeded in converting nearly 140 million hectare of land from the natural ecosystem to agriculture. Since independence we have added another 22 million hectares. As a result today we have 162 million hectares of land for agriculture. It forms a spectacular high percentage of 51%. Along with this agricultural land we have 4% of the land available for as Pasture land, 21% as forest land and the rest 24% as wasteland. 6.Why depletion of forests is dangerous?Ans. Forests provide habitat to wildlife, minimize incidence of drought, conserve water and soil as well help in reducing the volume of flood water. Degradation of forests has led to a rise in atmospheric temperature at the global level. It may lead to melting of ice caps and a corresponding rise in sea level thus endangering low level thickly populated parts of the world. 7.What is wasteland?Ans. Land which is not utilized is called waste land. This includes arid, rocky and sandy desserts. The high mountains and uneven lands also belong to this category. If forests are depleted and grasslands are overgrazed, the land becomes unproductive and eventually wastelands are formed. 8.Why judicious use of land with proper planning is required?Ans. The growing population and higher standards of living have created an increasing demand for residential land in villages and cities. Today cities and towns are compelled to grow vertically rather than horizontally. Despite this some more land is required for expansion of industries, institutions, transport and recreational facilities. We should keep in mind that the total availability of land is a fixed asset. Therefore, proper planning and judicious use of land is absolutely necessary. 9.Why is land hunger dangerous?Ans. Because of exploding population we are required to produce sufficient quantities of food. This is known as land hunger which is creating a serious pressure on land. Farm land is under threat due to more and more intense utilization. When soil is used more intensively for farming, it is eroded even more rapidly by wind and rain. Over irrigation of farm land leads to Stalinization, because evaporation of water brings the salts to the surface of the soil because of which crops cannot grow. Indiscriminate use of chemical fertilizers poisons the soil and eventually the land becomes unproductive. Land is also polluted by industrial waste and rural and urban sewage.As the urban sector grows and industrial expansion takes place, agricultural land and forests shrink. In this way land hunger increases.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 03:25:27 +0000
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