Resources of India
The resources of India can be broadly classified
into natural and human resources. The natural resources can be further divided
into water resources and land resources. As India is an agricultural country,
the study of water and land resources is of great importance.
WATER RESOURCES
Water is an important natural resource. It is the
basic need of human beings and considered as the wealth of a nation. Water is
needed for irrigation, generation of power, industries, domestic use,
navigation, fisheries and recreational purposes. The use of water resources is
not new to humankind. The development of water resources is very essential to
satisfy the needs of growing population and as a natural resource, its
judicious conservation is required. Now a days rain water harvesting is given
due importance. The chief sources of surface water are rivers and lakes. The
underground water sources are wells and springs. The availability of water
varies from place to place and from time to time. India depends on rainfall and
snowfall for surface water and underground water. Rainfall in India is
uncertain, unevenly distributed and seasonal. Therefore, to carry on
agriculture, India depends on canals, tanks and wells. They are very essential
wherever the water is scarce. This method of supplying water artificially for
agriculture is called irrigation. Irrigation is very important in India
agriculture is the main occupation of the people and rainfall is insufficient.
One of the greatest achievements in the history of agriculture is the practice
of irrigation. The perennial rivers of North India and the underground water
resources of the Great Plains of the north have helped in the development of
irrigation.
TYPES OF IRRIGATION:
Different regions have different types of
irrigation, depending upon the source of water. The distribution of rainfall,
relief features and the requirement of water for different crops are the
factors affecting the practice of different types of irrigation. The major
types of irrigation practised in India are:-
1) Well irrigation,
2) Tank irrigation,
3) Canal irrigation.
WELL IRRIGATION: It is the most important type of
irrigation in India. It provides water to large areas of cultivated land. It is
most suitable for Indian agriculture because this system of irrigation can be
adopted even in areas where rainfall is scanty. For the construction of wells,
huge capital and technology are not required. Irrigation is possible throughout
the year. For small landholders, this type of irrigation is easily accessible.
Because of these reasons, well irrigation is largely practised to-day. There
are two types of wells, namely, open wells and tube wells. Water is lifted from
open wells through manual power or with the help of diesel or electric
pumpsets. But the tube wells are usually fitted with electric pumps for lifting
water. Well irrigation is very important in India. It accounts for 51.2% of the
total irrigated area in India. To develop well irrigation, the government provides
loans to our farmers at lower rate of interest. Well irrigation is mostly
practised in the North Indian Plains and the eastern coastal plains. Uttar
Pradesh accounts for 28.6 % of the total well irrigated area. Apart from this,
Rajasthan, Punjab, Gujarat, Tamilnadu, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh have also developed well irrigation.
TANK IRRIGATION: It is practised in India since
ancient times. Under this system, bunds are constructed across small streams,
water is stored and supplied to agriculture through small canals. This type of
irrigation is mostly practised in South India because the peninsular plateau is
suitable for the construction of tanks. Tank irrigation is found in Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. Only 8% of
the total irrigated land is under tank irrigation. Two tanks constructed during
8th century A.D. in Chingalpet district of Tamilnadu are still in use. There
are a few problems with regard to tank irrigation. They are:
(1) Tanks mostly depend on rain water. They are
filled with water only during the rainy season and became dry during summer
when water is most needed
(2) Silt accumulates in tanks and desilting becomes
necessary. In Karnataka, desilting of tanks is being has been carried out.
CANAL IRRIGATION: Canal irrigation is mostly
practised in North India where perennial rivers flow. India has the largest
network of irrigation canals. 39% of the total irrigated area is covered by
canal irrigation. The flat surface of North India, perennial rivers, vast
agricultural land, have become important factors for the development of canal
irrigation. The construction and maintenance of canals requires huge capital,
hence they are under the control of the government. There are two types of
canals. They are non-perennial (inundation) canals and perennial canals. Dams
are constructed across the rivers in the perennial canals. They store water in
reservoirs and provide it for agriculture through canals. Canals taken out
directly from the rivers are called non-perennial canals. In India, Punjab,
Haryana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and
Maharashtra have canal irrigation. Uttar Pradesh has the largest network of
irrigation canals.
MULTI-PURPOSE RIVER VALLEY PROJECTS: India has
undertaken the construction of multi-purpose river valley projects for the
maximum utilisation of water resources. The main purpose of these projects are:
(1) they provide for irrigation
(2) they help to generate hydro-electric power,
(3) they control floods,
(4) they prevent soil erosion,
(5) they help to develop fisheries,
(6) they provide inland navigation
(7) they provide water for industries,
(8) they provide recreational facilities and water
for domestic use and
(9) they also help afforestation.
In India there are 162 major and 240 medium size and
74 small size river valley projects.
IMPORTANT MULTI-PURPOSE PROJECTS
1. Damodar River Valley Project: This was the first multipurpose project
constructed after Independence. It was a joint venture of former Bihar and West
Bengal states. River Damodar rises in the Chotanagpur plateau of Jharkhand. But
its floods caused a lot of destruction in West Bengal. It was called the
“Sorrow of Bengal”. The objectives of this project were to control floods,
provide navigation, hydro-electricity, fish culture, recreational facilities
afforestation and prevention of soil erosion. It has 2,495 km. length of canals
and 4.5 lakh hectares of land under irrigation. Dams are constructed across
river Damodar and its tributaries at Tilaya, Konar, Maithon and Panchet hill.
Thermal power stations are constructed at Bokaro, Chandrapur and Durgapur.
Jharkhand and West
Bengal benefit from this project.
2. Bhakra-Nangal Project: It is the highest multi-purpose river valley
project of India. It is a joint venture of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Dams
are constructed across the river Sutlej in Himachal Pradesh at Bhakra and
Nangal. Bhakra dam is 226 mts. high and is the highest dam in Asia. The canals
of this project are 3,402 kms. long and provide irrigation to 14.6 lakh
hectares of land. Delhi and Himachal Pradesh also get irrigation water and
hydro-electric power. The reservoir which is created is called ‘Govind Sagar’.
3. Kosi Project: The
main objective of this project is to control floods. Kosi was called the
"sorrow of Bihar". It is a joint venture of India and Nepal. It is
constructed across the river Kosi at Hanuman Nagar on the borders of India and
Nepal, it provides irrigation to about 8.75 lakh hectares of land. 50 % of the
hydro-electricity produced by this project is supplied to Nepal.
4. The Hirakud Project: Flood control, irrigation and production of
hydro-electricity are the main purposes of this project. This project is
constructed across the river Mahanadi at a distance of 10 kms. from Sambalpur
in Orissa. River Mahanadi was called the “Sorrow of Orissa”. The Hirakud
project has the longest dam in India with a length of 4,801 mts. It irrigates
almost 2.54 lakh hectares of land. The states of Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh
are provided with irrigation and hydro-electricity.
5. Tungabhadra Project: The main purposes of this project are
irrigation and generation of hydro-electricity. It is a joint venture of
Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This dam is constructed across the river
Tungabhadra near Hospet in Bellary district of Karnataka. The reservoir is
called ‘Pampa Sagara’. It provides irrigation to about 5.5 lakh hectares of
land in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh and also supplies hydro-electricity.
6. Nagarjuna Sagar Project: This dam is constructed across river Krishna
near
Nandikonda village in Andhra Pradesh. It is the
largest multi-purpose river valley project in India. The main purposes of this
project are to provide irrigation and generation of hydroelectricity. It
irrigates almost 8.30 lakh hectares of land.
7. Chambal Project: It is a joint venture of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The main
purposes of this project are to prevent soil erosion, generate
hydro-electricity and provide irrigation. Three reservoirs are constructed.
They supply water to about 5.60 lakh hectares of land in Madhya Pradesh and
Rajasthan.
8. Upper Krishna Project: It is an irrigation project of Bagalkot and
Gulburga districts of Karnataka. It is constructed across the river Krishna
near Almatti in Bagalkot district. It aims at providing irrigation to 1.43 lakh
hectares of land in Bijapur, Raichur, Bagalkot and Gulbarga districts. Another
dam is constructed across river Krishna at Narayanpur in Gulbarga district.
9. Narmada River Valley Project: The idea of constructing a dam across the
river Narmada was initiated even during the British period. The irrigation
committee of 1901 announced the construction of a project across river Narmada
but somehow it did not materialise during the British period. In 1961, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, laid the foundation for the
construction of a dam at Bharut. But from the beginning, this project has faced
a lot of opposition and in 1969 the river water tribunal was appointed to
settle the disputes between Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat over the distribution of
water from this project. The Narmada project which consists of 23 dams includes
Sardar Sarovar, Narmada Sagar and Narmada upper project. On completion, these
dams will provide irrigation and hydro-electricity to North Gujarat, Saurashtra
and some parts of Maharashtra. In addition to these projects there are many
other irrigation projects. In Karnataka state, the important projects are
Ghataprabha, Bhadra, Kali and Malaprabha. There are many projects in India with
the main objective of providing irrigation.
POWER GENERATING PROJECTS
There are some projects which are meant only for the
generation of power. The largest hydro-electric potential is along the
Himalayas from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. The snowfed and rainfed rivers
have plenty of water. The relief features of this area are quite suitable for
the generation of power. The second region is along the Western Ghats. This
region gets heavy rainfall and it has rugged relief. The plateaus of peninsular
India also have favourable relief and wherever water is sufficient, hydel power
is generated. The prominent hydel power generating stations are Sileru in
Andhra Pradesh, Dhuvaran in Gujarat, Shabarigiri and Idukki in Kerala, Koyna in
Maharashtra and Sharavathi, Chakra and Kalinadi projects in Karnataka.
FISHERIES: India has vast water bodies where fish
can be reared and used for food. India is surrounded by water bodies on three
sides and it has a wide continental shelf, active ocean currents and deposition
of sediments by the rivers which provide a rich breeding ground for fish. To
increase its marine fish catch, India needs big mechanized fishing boats and
vessels. It also needs improved landing and berthing facilities. Another
requirement is cold storage and processing facilities for marine products.
India has many rivers, canals and lakes which can be rich sources of fish.
Fishing is also one of the aims of multi-purpose projects.
WATER POLLUTION: Water resource is very important
and is required for industries, agriculture, fishing and domestic purposes. We
should take care to see that water is not wasted and also to see that our water
sources are not polluted. Very often industrial waste is pumped into rivers and
seas, thus causing pollution. For example many industries on the banks of river
Ganges have polluted it. The Central Ganga Authority was set up by the
Government of India for checking the flow of pollutants and sewage into the
river Ganges. All the rivers, reservoirs and lakes of India are faced with
pollution.
Land Resources
Land is the most important among the natural
resources. The judicious and planned utilisation of this resource results in
economic development. The geographical factors such as landforms, climate and
soil determine the landuse pattern in India. The varied economic and social
factors and attitudes of the people have also influenced the landuse in India.
The landuse in India can be broadly classified into five categories. They are
1) Land under cultivation,
2) Forests,
3) Land not available for cultivation,
4) Fallow land and
(5) other uncultivated land.
1) Land under cultivation: It accounts for about
1,428.2 lakh hectares of the total land area. Compared to other countries of
the world, India has a fairly large percentage of land under cultivation. In
the North Indian plain, the states of Punjab. Haryana and West Bengal have 60%
of the land under cultivation. The states of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have
only 3.1% and 2.7% of the land under cultivation respectively. 30.4% of the
land under cultivation has the capacity to grow more than one crop a year.
2) Forest region: India has about 687.5 lakh
hectares of land under forests. The amount of land under forests varies from
state to state. Arunachal Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar islands have 90% of
the land under forests. Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura and Himachal
Pradesh have about 60 to 62% land covered with forests. Haryana has the lowest
area under forest. Reckless cutting down of forests has reduced the area under
forest.
3) Land not available for cultivation: It includes
barren land and the land used for the construction of buildings, roads and
railways, and also land occupied by rivers, canals and lakes. Some of the
barren land can be put to better use by developing forests.
4) Fallow land: It is cultivable land but not put to
use either because of shortage of water or poor soil. Large tracts of land
which were cultivated in the past are now abandoned due to soil or water
deficiency.
5) The other uncultivated land: It includes
permanent pastures, grazing land and
groves. India has about 4% of the land under
pastures. The total available land is fixed. In view of the pressure on land
for various purposes, it is necessary to make the proper use of all the
available land. This can be done by using scientific methods of cultivation
such as conservation of soil, turning wasteland into cultivable land, thus
increasing the productivity of the land.
SOIL RESOURCES
Soil is a valuable natural resources. Soil is formed
by decomposition and disintegration of rocks under different types of climate.
The soil of India can be broadly divided into, 1) alluvial soil 2) Black soil
3) Red soil 4) Laterite soil 5) desert soil 6) terai soil and 7) mountain soil.
NORTH INDIAN SOILS
1) Alluvial soil : This soil is more widespread than
other soils. It is spread over 7.7 lakh sq. km. of area in Uttaranchal, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana and Assam. In the south, it is
found in the plains and deltas in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Tamilnadu. It is
the soil brought down by the rivers from the mountains and deposited in the
plains and deltas. It is very useful for agriculture since it is very fertile.
The soil is rich in potash and lime but poor in nitrogen and humus. The
important crops grown in this soil are wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton and jute.
The soil is also very suitable for jute. Irrigation is mostly carried on in
this region. This soil is further divided into Khadar and Bhangar soil, Bhangar
soil is older soil and Khadar soil is younger soil.
2) Black soil or Regur soil: This soil is very
useful for the cultivation of cotton. It is also called black cotton soil. It
is formed from the disintegration of volcanic rocks. It contains fine clay
particles and is able to retain moisture and hence it is useful wherever
rainfall is less. It is spread over an area of about 5.46 lakh sq. km. of
India. It is found in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Western Andhra
Pradesh and Northern Karnataka. It has plenty of iron, lime and magnesium
carbonates. It is suitable for dry farming. Cotton, jowar, onions, chillies,
tobacco, oil seeds, wheat, lemons and grapes are the important crops grown in
this soil.
3) Red soil: It is formed by the disintegration of
crystalline rocks. It is red in colour due to the change of iron content into
iron oxide. It is deficient in organic matter, phosphorus and lime. Generally
the low rainfall regions have this soil. The important crops that grow in this
soil are tobacco, oil seeds. rice, sugarcane, and cotton. This soil is spread
over a region of about 5.18 lakh sq.km. from Kanyakumari in the south upto
Western Kachchh of Gujarat and Rajmahal hills in Jharkhand.
4) Laterite Soil: This soil is formed in the regions
where rainfall is heavy and temperature is very high. It is not very fertile.
It lacks nitrogen and salts. About 2.48 lakh sq.km. of area in India has this
soil.The western Ghats, Vindhyas, Satpuras, Rajmahal hills and Purvachal
mountain regions have this type of soil. This soil is good for the cultivation
of coffee, tea, and other plantation crops. The compact laterate soil can be
cut into the form of bricks and can be used for construction of buildings.
5) Desert soil: The low rainfall and high temperature
are the reasons for the formation of this soil. About 1.42 lakh sq.km of area
in India has this type of soil. The Thar desert of Rajasthan, some parts of
Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana have Desert soil. It contains plenty of sand. It
has a very small amount of nitrogen and humus and a large amount of salt and
phosphate which are soluble, hence the soil is not suitable for cultivation.
6) Terai soil: This soil is found in lowlands and
marshy areas. It contains decayed organic material. This type of soil is found
in the southern parts of Siwaliks, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. It
covers about 56,000 sq.km.
7) Mountain Soil: It contains plenty of decayed
organic matter and is suitable for plantation crops like tea, fruits, and
vegetables. This soil is found in the lower slopes of the Himalayas and hilly
regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
West Bengal and Uttaranchal.
SOIL EROSION: It is one of the main problems of our
country and soil erosion is on the increase in recent years. The main reasons
for soil erosion are:
1) destruction of forests
2) over-grazing
3) unscientific cultivation and
4) over-irrigation.
Soil erosion results in the loss of fertility of the
soil since it is washed away by floods. The river beds accumulate with silt
deposits. The reservoirs have accumulation of silt and their storage capacity
becomes less. This directly affects our agriculture because India is an
agricultural nation.
SOIL CONSERVATION: Prevention of soil erosion and
preservation of its fertility is known as soil conservation. All the Five Year
Plans have given importance to the prevention of soil erosion. Some of the
programmes undertaken to prevent soil erosion are:
1) Contour ploughing (right angle ploughing of land
i.e.along the contours)
2) Construction of check dams
3) Prevention of cutting down of forests and growing
more forests (afforestation)
4) Development of pasture lands
5) Following scientific methods of farming
6) Proper use of water
Human Resource
The people of a country are its greatest resource.
All material resources are exploited by human beings for their existence. For
judicious exploitation of natural resources and economic development of a
nation, Human resource is required. Productivity of population is decided by
the proficiency of people and their skills. The most important among them are
scientific and technological development, managerial abilities, cultural
values, political and social organizations, education, health, physical power
etc. Population which possesses better qualities and skills increases its
productive capacity. Therefore human resource is of prime importance. For
proper utilization of natural resources and to achieve economic development,
better quality of human resource is required. So it is very essential to
nurture human resources with better quality of education, technological
efficiency, health and other facilities. Economic development and increase in
productivity is possible when the people are healthy and physically sound. Karnataka
state has come forward to provide better health facilities through ‘Yashaswini’
programme. India has 16% of the total population of the world. Next to China,
it is the second largest populated country in the world, The total population
of India according to 1991 census was 84.39 crores. It has increased to 102
crores in 2001. The land area remains the same, whereas the population is
growing very fast. According to 1901 census, the density of population was 77
persons per sq.km. It increased to 267 persons per sq.km. by 1991 and it is 324
according to 2001 census. West Bengal has the highest density of
population. The increase of population in India
between 1991 and 2001 is about 21.35%.
The main factors for the increase in population in
India are
1) high birth rate and low death rate
2) Infiltration or immigration from neighbouring
countries.
The reasons for high birth rate are marriage as a
social obligation, illiteracy, poverty, longing for a male child. The fall in
death rate is due to better health facilities, social welfare programmes.
Some of the problems resulting from population
growth are:
1) unemployment problem
2) housing problem
3) lack of food and have malnutrition
4) slow economic progress
5) environmental pollution and
6) political and social problems.
The Government of India has introduced many
programmes to control population growth. Important among them are: 1) Family
Welfare Plan, 2) Women Welfare Programmes, 3) Establishment of family planning
units in hospitals and primary health centres. India was the first country to
launch family planning programme in the world.
COMPOSITION: India is a secular nation and we find
unity amidst diversity. We also find different races and tribes. It was called
the "melting pot" by Jawaharlal Nehru. The people of India speak
different languages. Some of them are derived from Sanskrit and some of them
are of Dravidian origin. Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam are Dravidian
languages. Assamese, Bengali, Gujarathi, Hindi, Kashmiri, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi,
Sindhi, Sanskrit and Urdu are the other important languages of India. We find
many religions in India. India is the home of Hindus , Muslims, Christians,
Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Zorastrians and others. None of these people can enjoy
special privileges because of their religion. India is a secular country and
all are equal before the law and enjoy equal freedom. The physical power,
intellectual capacity, skills in work, zeal for activities and industriousness
are the special qualities of Indian human resource. All these qualities require
proper guidance and environment.
DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE: Man is not only a
producer of resources but also its consumer. Therefore utilization of natural
resources is necessary. The development of human resource means the process of
increasing the knowledge, skills and capacities of all the people in the
society. Human Resource Development includes population planning and planning
to increase the quality of living of the people. The main purpose of Human
Resource Development is to increase social welfare and labour productivity.
India has a large human resource, but it is not properly utilized because of
poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and unemployment. A new ministry in the Central
Government called Ministry for Human Resource Development. (HRD) was formed in
1985 to nurture and utilize the human resource properly and work for its all
round development. It has five departments for this purpose. They are, 1)
Education 2) Culture 3) Arts (4) Youth welfare and sports and (5) Women
welfare. If all the resources are used judiciously then economic development is
possible. Since independence India's population has increased in number and the
quality has also improved. Since the human resource is very important Gandhiji
wanted to give more importance to decentralisation of industries and small
scale industries.
