NOTES ON NATURAL RESOURCES

1. What are natural resources?

The word ‘resource’ means a source of supply or support that is generally held in
reserve. The natural resources are the materials, which living organisms can take from
nature for the sustenance of their life. Or any component of the natural environment
that can be utilized by man to promote his welfare is considered as a natural resource.

2. Types of natural resources

– Depending upon the availability and abundance, natural resources are of two types:
a) Renewable resources: these resources have the capacity to reappear or replenish
themselves by quick recycling, reproduction and replacement within a reasonable
time. These resources are present in unlimited quantity in nature and are not likely to
be exhausted by the human activities. E.g. solar energy, tidal energy, wind energy etc.
b) Non- renewable resources: these resources lack the ability of recycling and
replacement and have limited supply on earth and are therefore liable to be exhausted
if used discriminately. E.g. fossil fuels (coal, petroleum and natural gas).

3. Forest resources
 A forest is a biotic community which is predominantly composed of trees, shrubs or
any woody vegetation and often with a closed canopy. Approximately one third of the
earth’s total land area is covered by forests. Forest are the valuable wealth of the
country.
 The word “forest” comes from the Latin word “foris,” which meaning “outside” (may
be the reference was to a village boundary or fence separating the village and the
forest land). A forest is a self-sustaining natural community with vertical structure
created by the presence of trees. Trees are big, woody plants with a single stem.
Forests can grow in a variety of places and under a variety of situations, yet they all
have the same physical properties.
 Forest perform three types of function:
1. Productive function
2. Protective function
3. Regulative function
o Productive function: it includes production of timber, bamboos, food and a
wide variety of compounds, such as resins, essential oils, pharmaceuticals etc.
forest products collected by people include food like fruits, roots, herbs and
medicinal plants. People depend on fuel wood to cook food; collect fodder for
domestic animals and cut building material for housing; collect medicinal
plants that have been known for generations to treat several ailment.
o Protective function: these function includes conservation of soil and water,
prevention of drought and protection against wind, cold, radiation, noise etc.
forest control the flow of water in streams and rivers. Forest reduces the
surface runoff of rain water and allows ground water to be stored. Forest also
prevent the erosion of soil. Once soil is lost by erosion it takes thousands of
years to reform.
 o Regulative function: it includes absorption, storage and release of gases like
CO2 and O2 , water, mineral elements and radiant energy. Floods, draught and
global biogeochemical cycles, particularly of carbon is also regulated by
forests. The regulative function of forests improve atmospheric and
temperature conditions.

Uses of forest resources

a) Commercial use- They manufacture a wide range of commercial and
industrial goods. Structural timber, charcoal, and raw materials for the creation
of paper, newsprint, panel goods, resins, gums, essential oils, and a variety of
beneficial medicinal shrubs are examples of such valuable items.
b) Ecological use - Herbs, shrubs, climbers, and grasses make up the majority of
environmentally beneficial plants. Tropical forest natural resources are known
as the earth’s lungs and have been dubbed the “life support system” by many.
c) Regulation of climate - Rain forest natural resources, the most fundamental
ecosystem, are widely acknowledged for regulating global climate, rainfall,
and land and water productivity.
d) Reduces global warming - During photosynthesis, the forest canopy absorbs
CO2 and acts as a sink for greenhouse gases.
e) Soil conservation - A properly stocked forest guards against soil erosion,
damage of water sheds, floods and sedimentation.
f) Hydrological cycle - Forest natural resources such as watersheds absorb
rainwater, increase humidity through transpiration, and control the
hydrological cycle like giant sponges.
g) Medicinal value - The majority of medicinal plants are located in the forest’s
underbrush strata. They contain molecules that have specific effects on
the human body, including as alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, lignans, fatty
acids, resins, tannins, gums, and many other substances.

Overexploitation of forest resources

a) Commercial demand: Forest natural resources make a significant
contribution to the national economy. The annual value of the international
timber trade is around US $ 40 billion. However, commercial demand for
pines, teak, sal, and other conifers has reduced the forest’s productive wealth
to a desert.
b) Raw materials: Wood, timber, wooden crates for furniture manufacturing,
railway sleepers, and pulp for the paper industry have all put a huge strain
on forest natural resources. Plywood is in high demand for packing tea in the
tea industry, although fir tree wood is used to box apples alone (ten times
more).
c) Developmental projects: The development of dams, hydroelectric projects,
power plants, roads, highways, railways, open cast coal and lime stone
mines, as well as World Bank megaprojects, have all contributed to the vast
removal of forest cover.
d) Fuel requirement: The demand for fuel wood in India increased to 600
million tonnes in 2010 as the country’s population grew. If the current trend
continues, the cost of fuel will soon be far higher than the cost of food.
 Deforestation
– Destruction of forests is a formidable threat to the quality of life, country’s economy
and future development.
– Causes of deforestation
 Shifting cultivation: - this is a traditional agroforestry system widely practiced in the
north eastern region of our country. It involves felling and burning of forests followed
by cultivation of crops for few years and abandoning cultivation to allow forest’s
growth.
 Explosion of human population: - due to over population of human beings,
requirement of timber, fuel, paper, wood etc. has been increased. Man has cleared
large areas of forests for agriculture, housing, factories, roads and railway tracks.
 Demand of wood for industries:- wood is used for several industrial processes, such
as making boxes, packing cases, furniture, match boxes, paper, plywood etc. this
requirement of for industries has increased tremendously in the country in the recent
years.
 Construction of roads: - construction of roads along the mountains which cover nearly
30.000km in ecologically fragile area is another cause of forest degradation.
 Mining operations: - it has a serious impact on forest areas. Large areas of forest are
cleared and laid barren as a result of open cast mining of mica, coal, limestone etc.
 Overgrazing: - overgrazing of forests by livestock has resulted in large scale
degradation of forests.
 Fires: - it destroys the full grown trees, seedlings, seeds and even humus. It also cause
large scale damage to animal life.
 Dams and hydroelectric projects: - dams, reservoirs and hydroelectric projects
submerge forest, displace local people cause water logging and siltation and may
result in earthquakes.
 Weather: - extreme weather conditions such as frost, storms and heat also destroy
forests.
 Pests: - many kind of insects and pests destroy trees by eating up leaves, boring into
shoots and spreading diseases.

Effects of deforestation
1. Forests, particularly on mountains provide considerable protection from floods by
trapping and absorbing precipitation and slowly releasing it later.
2. Deforestation results in increased soil erosion and decreased soil fertility.
3. Deforestation causes the extinction of forest dwelling plant, animals and microbial
species resulting into a loss of irreplaceable genetic resources.
4. Deforestation also threatens indigenous (tribal) people whose culture and physical
survival depend upon the forests.
5. The pattern of rainfall has changed in deforested areas.
6. Deforestation also contributes to global warming by releasing stored carbon into
atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which is greenhouse gas.

Forest conservation and management

– The tree remove from the forest for any purpose must be replaced by a new tree.
 – Afforestation should be done in areas unfit for agriculture, along highways and rivers,
around playgrounds and parks.
– The use of firewood should be discouraged and alternative sources of energy for
cooking such as biogas, natural gas etc. should be made available.
– Pests and diseases of forest trees should be controlled by fumigation and aerial spray
of fungicides and through biological methods of pest control.
– Grazing of cattle's in the forests should be discouraged.
– Modern methods of forest management should be adopted. These include use of
irrigation, fertilizers, bacterial and disease and pest management.

Timber extraction
4. Timber and wood are used to make lumber, plywood and different types of
boards.
5. There has been unlimited exploitation of timber for commercial use. Due to
increased industrial demand; timber extraction has significant effect on forest and
tribal people.
6. The major effects of limber extraction on forest and tribal people include :
a. Poor logging results in a degraded forest.
b. Floods may be intensified by cutting of trees or upstream watersheds.
c. Loss of biodiversity.
d. Climatic changes such as lower precipitation.
e. New logging roads permit shifting cultivators to gain access to logged areas
and fell the remaining trees.
f. It results in forest fragmentation which promotes loss of biodiversity
because some species of plants and animals require large continuous areas
of similar habitat to survive.
g. Exploitation of tribal people by the contractors.
h. Soil erosion especially on slopes occurs extensively.
i. Sedimentation of irrigation systems, floods may be intensified by cutting of
trees on upstream.
j. Scientific research documenting the impact of timber extraction indicate
that it has resulted in fragmentation of the remaining forest, as well as
decrease in biodiversity
k. Loss of non-timber products and loss of long-term forest productivity on the
site affect the subsistence economy of the forest dwellers.

Mining
Major effects of mining operations on forest and tribal people are:

 Mining from shallow deposits is done by surface mining while that from deep deposits
is done by sub-surface mining. It leads to degradation of lands and loss of top soil. It is
estimated that about eighty thousands hectare land is under stress of mining activities
in India
 Mining leads to drying up perennial sources of water sources like spring and streams in
mountainous area.
 Mining and other associated activities remove vegetation along with underlying soil
mantle, which results in destruction of topography and landscape in the area. Large
 scale deforestation has been reported in Mussorie and Dehradun valley due to
indiscriminating mining.
 The forested area has declined at an average rate of 33% and the increase in non-forest
area due to mining activities has resulted in relatively unstable zones leading to
landslides.
 Indiscriminate mining in forests of Goa since 1961 has destroyed more than 50000 ha
of forest land. Coal mining in Jharia, Raniganj and Singrauli areas has caused extensive
deforestation in Jharkhand.
 Mining of magnetite and soapstone have destroyed 14 ha of forest in hilly slopes of
Khirakot, Kosi valley and Almora.
 Mining of radioactive minerals in Kerala, Tamilnadu and Karnataka are posing similar
threats of deforestation.
 The rich forests of Western Ghats are also facing the same threat due to mining projects
for excavation of copper, chromites, bauxite and magnetite.

Effects of dams on forests and tribal people

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru referred dam and valley projects as “Temples of modern India”.
These big dams and rivers valley projects have multi-purpose uses. However, these dams are
also responsible for the destruction of forests. They are responsible for degradation of
catchment areas, loss of flora and fauna, increase of water borne diseases, disturbance in
forest ecosystems, rehabilitation and resettlement of tribal peoples.

 India has more than 1550 large dams, the maximum being in the state of Maharashtra
(more than 600), followed by Gujarat (more than 250) and Madhya Pradesh (130).
 The highest one is Tehri dam, on river Bhagirathi in Uttaranchal and the largest in terms
of capacity is Bhakra dam on river Satluj in Himachal Pradesh. Big dams have been in
sharp focus of various environmental groups all over the world, which is mainly
because of several ecological problems including deforestation and socio-economic
problems related to tribal or native people associated with them.
 The Silent valley hydroelectric project was one of the first such projects situated in the
tropical rain forest area of Western Ghats which attracted much concern of the people.
 The crusade against the ecological damage and deforestation caused due to Tehri dam
was led by Shri. Sunder Lal Bahaguna, the leader of Chipko Movement.
 The cause of Sardar Sarovar Dam related issues have been taken up by the
environmental activitist Medha Patkar, joined by Arundhati Ray and Baba Amte. For
building big dams, large scale devastation of forests takes place which breaks the
natural ecological balance of the region.
 Floods, droughts and landslides become more prevalent in such areas. Forests are the
repositories of invaluable gifts of nature in the form of biodiversity and by destroying
them (particularly, the tropical rain forests), we are going to lose these species even
before knowing them. These species could be having marvellous economic or
medicinal value and deforestation results in loss of this storehouse of species which
have evolved over millions of years in a single stroke.

Case study
Chipko movement
  The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan is a social-ecological movement that
practised the Gandhian methods of satyagraha and non-violent resistance, through
the act of hugging trees to protect them from being felled.
 The modern Chipko movement started in the early 1970s in the Garhwal
Himalayas of Uttarakhand,with growing awareness towards rapid deforestation.
 The landmark event in this struggle took place on March 26, 1974, when a group
of peasant women in Reni village, Hemwalghati, in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand,
India, acted to prevent the cutting of trees and reclaim their traditional forest rights
that were threatened by the contractor system of the state Forest Department.
 Their actions inspired hundreds of such actions at the grassroots level throughout
the region. By the 1980s the movement had spread throughout India and led to
formulation of people-sensitive forest policies, which put a stop to the open felling
of trees in regions as far reaching as Vindhyas and the Western Ghats.
Forest conservation and management
– The tree remove from the forest for any purpose must be replaced by a new tree.
– Afforestation should be done in areas unfit for agriculture, along highways and rivers,
around playgrounds and parks.
– The use of firewood should be discouraged and alternative sources of energy for
cooking such as biogas, natural gas etc. should be made available.
– Pests and diseases of forest trees should be controlled by fumigation and aerial spray
of fungicides and through biological methods of pest control.
– Grazing of cattle's in the forests should be discouraged.
– Modern methods of forest management should be adopted. These include use of
irrigation, fertilizers, bacterial and disease and pest management.
4. Water resources
 Indispensable natural resource on which all life depends.
 Needed for daily use by organisms for irrigation, navigation, industrial use,
electricity production and domestic use.
 The total volume of ground water found in underground reservoir called
aquifers.
 At present 25% of water is being used by man. Agriculture uses the maximum
amount of water in the world. This amounts to about 73% and leads to a lot of
pressures on ground water.
 Excessive use of ground water depletes aquifers, lowers water table and may
lead to salinization, water logging and alkalinisation of soil.
 As per estimation, a person needs 2.7 litres per day of water.
 Thus, for their general livelihood and the support of their varied technical and
agricultural activities.
Indian scenario
 India receives about 3 trillion m3 of water from rainfall, which amounts to
about 105 to 1,117 cm annually.
  Fourteen major river system such as Ganges, Narmada, Brahmaputra,
Mahanadi, Cauvery, Krishna and Godavari, accounts for 85% of surface
flow and share 83% of the drainage basin. They serve 80% of the total
population.
 There are about 100 medium and minor rivers. The storage capacity is 3.65
trillion m3.
 Of the total annual precipitation, India utilises only 10% which may
increase to about 26% by 2025.
 Of the total water used in India, 92% is for irrigation and 8% for industrial
and domestic use.
 However, the groundwater availability is not adequate in provinces like
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
 Due to large scale deforestation and monsoon failure there is a regular
occurrence of drought in Kalahandi and some other districts of Orissa,
Karnataka, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
 The supply of drinking water in Indian villages is not adequate.
Uses and over exploitation of ground and surface water.
1. Agriculture: - crop irrigation consume 2/3rd of water withdrawal, evaporation and
seepage from unlined irrigation system are the principal water losses.
2. Livestock’s:- watering livestock’s, dairy operation, cooling livestock facilities and
dairy sanitation and clean-up.
3. Aquaculture: - raising fishes and raising shellfishes.
4. Thermoelectric: - used in the production of electric power. One of the largest producer
is U.S. Both fresh and saline water are used.
5. Industries: - they need water to cool down their machinery to a temperature that
allows the manufacturing process to keep going. Water also needed to clean
machinery, products and buildings.
6. Mining: - water is used for the extraction of minerals that can be in forms of solid,
liquid and gases.
7. Domestic purpose: - in indoor and outdoor households.
8. Commercial purpose: - in business such as hotels, restaurant, marketplaces and so on.
Floods
 Floods have been a serious environmental hazard for centuries.
 However, as people have deforested catchments and increased their usage of river
flood plains that originally served as safety valves, the destruction wreaked by rivers
overflowing their banks has become increasingly devastating.
 Deforestation in the Himalayas creates floods in the Ganges and its tributaries, as well
as the Brahmaputra that kill people, destroy crops, and destroy homes year after year.
 During floods, rivers alter channel, and tonnes of rich soil is lost to the sea.
 Rainwater no longer percolates slowly into the subsoil when forests decline, but
instead flows down the mountainside, carrying vast amounts of topsoil.
 This momentarily blocks rivers, but as pressure builds, it gives way, allowing massive
amounts of water to wash down into the plains below.
 Rivers overflowed, burst their banks, and floodwaters engulfed people's fields and
homes.
Drought
 Rainfall is uncertain in the world's most arid locations. This results in periods of
severe water scarcity for drinking, farming, and providing for urban and industrial
use.
 Drought prone area are thus faced with irregular periods of famine.
 Drought has been a major problem in our country especially in arid regions. It is an
unpredictable climatic condition and occurs due to the failure of one or more
monsoons.
 The scarcity of water during drought years affects homes, agriculture and industry. It
also leads to food shortages and malnutrition which especially affects children.
 In years when the monsoon is adequate, we use up the good supply of water without
trying to conserve it and use the water judiciously. Thus during a year when the rains
are poor, there is no water even for drinking in the drought area.
One of the factors that worsens the effect of drought is deforestation.
Once hill slopes are denuded of forest cover the rainwater rushes down the rivers and
is lost.
Dams benefits and problems
Our late Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru called dams as “the temple of modern
India”, which stores precious rain water to irrigate farmlands, generate electricity,
supply drinking water and save lands from floods and droughts.
Benefits
 Hydroelectricity generation
 Ensuring the year round water supply
 Transfer water from areas of excess to areas of deficit using canals
 Flood control and soil protection
 Irrigation during dry periods
 Multi-purpose river valley projects also provide for inland water navigation and can
be used to develop fish hatcheries and nurseries.
Problems
o Submergence of large areas of land that might include fertile fields and human
settlements.
o Resettlement and rehabilitation of displaced people.
o A number of water behind the dam could trigger seismic activity that might crack the
dam and unleash a flood of biblical proportions.
o Some dams lose enormous water through evaporation and seepage into porous rock
beds that they waste more water than, what becomes available.
o Salt left behind by evaporation increases the salinity of the river and make its
unusable when it reaches the downstream cities.
 o Dam projects can also lead to lowered nutritional status when highly productive fields
are flooded.

Conservation and management of water resources

– The main approaches for conservation of water are as follows:
I. Recycling of used water industries so as to reduce water wastage.
II. Reduction in domestic water wastage by constructing waste water treatment plants
and recycling the treated water.
III. Harvesting of rain water by adopting practices like storing of rain water and
recharging groundwater.
IV. Protecting of water sheds and afforestation to improve water economy.
V. Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth.

5. Land resources
 Most important natural resource upon which all human activity is based since
time immemorial is land.
 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.
Causes for destruction of land resources
 Land degradation: - a number of factors are responsible for the degradation of
land. These include soil erosion, waterlogging, salination, shifting cultivation,
desertification and various development activities.
 Soil erosion: - removal of top fertile layer of the soil by water, wind oceanic
waves and glaciers is called soil erosion.
 Desertification: - transformation of fertile land into desert by natural or man’s
activities is called desertification. It can cause from various causes such as
erosion of top soil, shifting of sand dunes by wind and overgrazing in lands
sparsely covered by grass.
 Developmental activities: - various developmental activities such as rapid
urbanization, construction of dams, roads, railways, airports, industries and
mining have caused excessive loss of large areas of fertile and productive
croplands, woodlands and grasslands.

Land degradation
 Man’s progress towards development has however, considerably damaged our
land resource base, probably since the dawn of civilisation.
 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.
 The most serious threat to the land is posed by deforestation.
 The exponentially growing population in the country has placed immense
pressure on the dwindling land resources, endangering the very survival of the
biome as a whole.
 The high degree of degradation of existing land resources, the changing
climate and increasing diversions of land forms from agricultural to non –
agricultural uses have aggravated the problems.
 Consequently the productivity of land has suffered to a great extent sometimes
beyond repair and per capita arable land is also decreasing with the progress of
time.
 India being an 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.
Soil erosion
 Top soil is precious to all living beings.
 Removal of the top layer of soil is known as soil erosion.
 Top soil is being continuously eroded by the different natural agents like
air and water.
 Accelerated erosion is due to overgrazing, deforestation and mining.
 Two types of agents cause soil erosion: wind and water.
 Water induced erosion includes sheet erosion, rill erosion, gullies erosion,
slip erosion and stream bank erosion.
 Wind erosion- unlike, water cannot be divided into such distinct types.
Surface texture is the best key to wind erosion hazard potential.
Case study on land resources
In 1981-82, farmers from hoshiarpur and nawanshehar, districts approached
scientists of the Punjab agricultural university (PAU) Ludhiana, as wheat
crops had turned white.
Soil analysis indicated Selenium (Se) levels in the area were above toxic
limits.
Se is a natural occurring trace element essential for animal and human health,
but the gap between requirement and excess is narrow.
Soil containing 0.5 micrograms of Se per kg or more are injurious to health.
In some areas of Punjab, Se levels ranges from 0.31 micrograms per kg to 4.55
micrograms per kg.
Rice cultivation requires the presence of standing water. Being highly soluble,
Se dissolves and comes to the surface. The water than evaporates and leave the
Se behind.
 Soil conservation
It is the management of soil to prevent destruction. Few methods for soil
conservation are as follows:
a) Contour ploughing: ploughing fields along curves of small slopes.
b) Crop rotation: plant different crops in the field from year to year.
c) Terrace farming: changes one field into a series of smaller flatter field
steep slope.
d) No- till farming: dead weeds and stalks are left in the ground from year
to year.
e) Wind breaks: trees planted along the edge of the field.
f) Cover crops: crops that are planted between harvest to replace certain
nutrients and reduce erosion.

6. Food resources
 The main sources of human food are plants and animals. We consume almost all parts
of one or the other plant in the form of cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits and spices. A
number of animal products such as milk, butter, egg and meat also supplement our
food requirements.
 World’s population is growing every year and so the demand of food is also
increasing constantly.
 About 40 million people die every year due to undernourishment and malnutrition.
Fifty percent of which are growing children between the ages of 1 to 15 years.

Changes caused by overgrazing and agriculture in crop production

i. Impacts of overgrazing: - overgrazing refers to the condition when the livestock
grazing surpasses the carrying capacity of a land.
a) Overgrazing removes the vegetal cover of the soil and makes it compact. It
reduces the humus content due to decline in organic cycling and infiltration
capacity of the soil.
b) Due to loss of vegetal cover the soil becomes susceptible to the action of wind
and water and gets eroded.
c) Overgrazing adversely affects the composition of plant population and their
generation capacity.
ii. Impacts of traditional agricultural: - about half of the global population and their
generation capacity.
a) Shifting cultivation practiced in many tribal areas results in deforestation.
b) Loss of forest cover exposes the soil to wind, rain and storms, thereby
resulting in soil erosion.
c) Slash and burn cultivation destroys the organic matter and makes the soil
nutrient poor within a short period.
iii. Impacts of modern agriculture: - modern agriculture is largely based upon
technological factors like the use of improved seeds, chemical fertilizers, synthetic
pesticides and extensive irrigation.
a) Intensive farming have reduced the fertility and productivity of the soil.
 b) Irrational use of chemical fertilizers to boost up the crop yield, have
contaminated ground water with nitrate. The presence of excess nitrate in
drinking water is dangerous for human health and may be fatal for infants.
Nitrate reacts with haemoglobin and impairs the oxygen transport by the
blood. This condition is called methaemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome.
c) Excessive NPK fertilizers used in agriculture fields are often washed off with
run-off water to water bodies and lakes causing over nourishment of the lakes
called eutrophication.
d) The excessive use of pesticides and herbicides have depleted the populations
of ecologically important soil microorganisms.

7. Energy resources
 In physics, energy (Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια energeia "activity, operation”) is an
indirectly observed quantity that is often understood as the ability of a physical
system to do work on other physical systems.
 Capability of doing WORK… WORK = FORCE x Displacement.
 In simpler terms, we can define energy as the ability to do work.
 If a object or organism does work (exerts force over a distance to move an object) the
object or organism uses energy.
 Because of direct connection between energy and work, energy is measured in the
same unit as work: joules (J).
 In addition to use energy to do work, objects gain energy because work is being done
on them.

Renewable energy resources

– Renewable energy is the energy which is generated from natural resources i.e. sun,
wind, rain, tides and can be generated again and again as and when required.
– They are available in plenty and by far most the cleanest sources of energy available
on this planet.
– Renewable technologies are suited to large scale production and small off grid
applications.
– Many forms of renewable energy are:
 Wind energy
 Humans have been using wind power for at least 5,500 years to propel
sailboats and sailing ships.
 Windmills have been used for irrigation pumping and for milling grain
since the 7th century AD in Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan.
 Air flows can be used to run wind turbines.
 Areas where winds are stronger and more constant, such as offshore
and high altitude sites, are preferred locations for wind farms.
 Wind power is renewable energy resource used to generate electricity
converting wind energy into mechanical energy. This mechanical
energy is then converted into electricity by the use of an electrical
generator located within each individual wind machine.
 Blowing wind spins the blades of a wind turbine- this device is called a
wind turbine and not a windmill.
  A windmill grinds or mills grains or is used to pump water.

 Solar energy
 Solar energy is the energy derived from the sun in the form of solar
radiation.
 Solar energy is the radiant light and heat from the sun.
 It has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of
ever-evolving technologies.
 Solar energy technologies use of solar energy for
o Solar heating
o Solar photovoltaic
o Solar thermal electricity
o Solar architecture
 We can directly change the sunlight into electricity by using solar cells
also called as photovoltaic cells.

 Hydro energy
 Hydro power , hydraulic power or water power is the power that is derived
from the force or energy of falling water, which may be harnessed for
useful purposes.
 It is a capture of moving water to generate electricity.
 Falling water is used to turn the turbine blades.
 Turbine converts hydraulic energy to mechanical energy.
 Alternator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
 Usually dams are constructer in the water flow to generate electricity from
rivers.

 Bio- fuel
 Liquid bio fuel is usually either bio alcohol such as bio ethanol or
an oil such as bio diesel.
 Bio ethanol is an alcohol made mostly from sugar and starch crops.
With advanced technology being developed, celluloid biomass
such as trees and grasses are also used as feed stocks for ethanol
production.
 Ethanol can be used as a fuel or vehicles in its pure form, but it is
usually used as a gasoline additive to increase octane and improve
vehicles emissions.
 Bio ethanol is widely used in USA and Brazil.
 Bio diesel is made from vegetable oils, animal fats and recycled
greases. Bio- diesel can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure
form. But it is usually used as a diesel additives to reduce levels of
particulates, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons from the diesel
vehicles.

 Geothermal energy
  It is thermal energy generated and stored in the earth. Thermal energy is
the energy that determines the temperature of matter.
 Originates from the formation of the planet (20%) and from radioactive
decay of minerals (80%).
 Reservoirs can be suspected in the areas where we find:-
o Geyser
o Boiling mud pot
o Volcano
o Hot springs
 Geothermal energy is obtained by trapping the heat of the earth.
Earth’s crust in some places of the globe or from some meters in
geothermal heat pump in all the places of the planet, this energy
derives from heat in the earth’s core.
– Advantages: Wide availability
– Lower running cost
– Decentralized power production
– Low pollution
– Available for the future.
– Disadvantages: Unreliable supply
– Usually produced in small quantities
– Often very difficult to store
– Currently per unit cost of energy is more compared to other types.
Non renewable resources
– A non renewable resources is a natural resource that cannot be re- made or re- grown
at a scale comparable to its consumption.
– It is the energy taken from the sources that are available on the earth in limited
quantity and will vanish fifty sixty years from now.
– Non- renewable resources are not environmental friendly and can have serious affect
on our human health.
– They are called non- renewable because they cannot be regenerated within a short
span of time.
– Non- renewable resources exist in the form of fossil fuels, natural gas, oil and coal.
Nuclear energy
– Nuclear energy is a powerful source of energy, generated during a nuclear reaction,
by change in the nucleus of an atom.
– Two ways to obtain nuclear energy:
  Nuclear fission
 Nuclear fusion
 Nuclear fission takes place when nucleus of heavy radioactive element like uranium,
plutonium or thorium splits up into smaller nuclei, when bombarded by low energy
neutrons. A large amount of heat is generated in this process, which is used to
produce electricity in nuclear power plants.
 Nuclear fusion takes place when the fusion of two light elements takes place to form a
heavier element and release uncontrollable energy. Thus it cannot be used to generate
electricity, unlike fission reaction.
Coal
– Coal is formed over millions of years by decay of land vegetation. When layers are
compacted and heated over time, deposits turned into coal.
– There are four stages of coal formation: lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous and
anthracite.
– Lignite deposits are the youngest of the coal types and have undergone the lowest
intensity of heat and pressure.
– Sub- bituminous coal contains less water and is therefore harder than lignite.
– Bituminous coal is heavily utilized for energy in power plants and for the production
of steel.
– Anthracite coal is known to be the cleanest burning coal but is one of the rarest, being
found in limited reserve in Pennsylvania.
Coal is usually extracted in mines. Since, the middle of the 20th century, coal use has
doubled. Many developing countries are depend on coal for energy because they cannot
afford oil or natural gas.
Oil
– Oil is liquid fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of marine microorganism
especially diatoms on the sea floor.
– After million of years the deposits ends up in rock and sediment where oil is trapped
in small spaces. It can be extracted by large drilling platforms.
– Oil is the most widely used fossil fuel. Crude oil consists of many different organic
compounds which are transformed to products in a refining process.
– It is applied in cars, jets, roads, roofs and many other.
Natural gas
– Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel that is versatile, abundant and relatively clean
compared to coal and oil.
– Like oil, it is formed from the remains of marine microorganism.
 – It is relatively new type of energy source. until 1999, more coal was used than natural
gas.
– Methane a gas or compound that has one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms.
– Natural gas is lighter than air. First discoveries of natural gas seeps were in Iran.
– Usually found near petroleum underground. Pumped from below grounds and
travelled through pipelines to storage areas.
– Advantages: Available in highly concentrated form
– Easy to store
– Reliable supply
– Lower cost per unit of energy produced as the technology is matured.
– Disadvantages: Highly polluting
– available only in few places
– High running cost
– Limited supply and will one day get exhausted
8. Mineral resources
 Naturally occurring substance, representable by chemical formula that is
usually solid and inorganic and has a crystal structure.
 Mineral resources are the key material basis for socio economic development.
 Statistical results show that more than 95% of energy used by mankind, 80%
industrial raw material and 70% raw material for agricultural production are
from mineral resources.

statistical results of mineral resources

energy industries agricultural production

 A mineral is a pure organic substance that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust.
  More than two thousand minerals have been identified and most of these are
inorganic, which are formed by the various combination of element.
 However, a very small proportion of earth;s crust contains organic materials,
consists of single element such as gold, silver, diamond and sulphur.

Mineral resources

Metallic: these are Non-metallic: a group of

metals that are hard, chemical elements which
conduct electricity and melted do not generate a
heat with characteristic new product.
of luster or slime.
e.g.:- gypsum, sand,
e.g.:- silver, chromium, gravel etc.
tin, nickel, copper, iron,
lead etc.

Metallic resources are further divided into: ferrous (contains iron) and Non – ferrous (does
not contains iron)
Methods of mining
1. Surface mining: includes
a. Open pit mining – extracted out by making pits by removing the over
burden.
b. Dredging – chained buckets and drag lines are used to scrap out the
minerals from underwater deposits.
c. Strip mining – the ores are stripped by using bulldozers, power shovels
and stripping wheels.
2. Sub surface mining: this method is used when the mineral deposits lies deep
beneath the earth’s surface. Big holes are dug in the earth surface to extract out ores
from the horizontal ore bodies.
Effects of mining on environment
 Pollution
 Destruction of land
 Subsidence
 Noise
 Energy
 Impact on biological environment
 Long term supplies of mineral resources

9. Role of individuals in conservation of natural resources.

Conservation of resources means the management of human use of the resources so
that it may give maximum benefit to present generation, while maintaining its
potential to meet the requirements of the future generations.
Conservation of water
i. Continuous running of water taps should be avoided while brushing, shaving,
washing or bathing.
ii. Wastage of water can be avoided by installing water saving toilets, which uses
only 6 litres of water per flush.
iii. While using washing machines, fill the machines with water only to the level
required for our clothes.
iv. Water leakage in pipes and toilets if any, should be repaired promptly.
v. Watering of plants in kitchen garden and lawns should be done only in the
evening when evaporation losses are minimum.
vi. Drip irrigation and sprinkling may be practised to improve irrigation
efficiency and reduce evaporation.
vii. Rain water harvesting system should be installed.
Conservation of energy
i. Solar cooker may be used for cooking of food on sunny days to cut down LPG
consumption.
ii. Make a habit of switching off lights, fans and other applications when not in
use.
iii. One can save petrol or diesel by using public transportation and by sharing a
car pool if you have to go to the same place regularly.
iv. Avoid using scooter or car for short distance and can cover such distances by
walking or riding bicycle.
v. Build you house with provision for sunspace to keep the house well lit and to
save electricity.
vi. Deciduous trees may be grown outside the houses to cut off intense heat of
summers and to get a cool breeze. The trees shed of their leaves in winter and
provide adequate sunlight and heat. It will reduce the consumption of
electricity on coolers during summer and heat convector during winter.
Conservation of soil
i. Don’t throw vegetable peelings and kitchen wastes and make compost from
the same to use it in kitchen or flower pots.
ii. Avoid strong flow of water to irrigate lawn or plants. Use sprinkling irrigation
to prevent washing off the soil.
iii. Avoid over irrigation of agricultural fields to prevent water logging and
salination.
iv. Crop residues should be incorporated in the soil ploughing instead of burning
it in the field.
v. Green manure and mulch may be used in the fields to maintain soil fertility
and protection of the soil against erosion.