Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Natural Resources
NATURAL RESOURCES
WATER CONFLICTS
NATIONAL
CAUVERY WATER DISPUTE
RIVER: Cauvery
ORIGIN: Talakaveri, Karnataka
LENGTH: 765 KM
STATES INVOLVED: Karnataka, Tamilnadu (Major)
Kerala, Pondicherry (Minor)
UPSTREAM: Karnataka
DOWNSTREAM: Tamilnadu
DAM: Mettur dam, Krishna Raja Sagara Dam
HISTORY: The history of this conflict rests in two controversial agreements—one
signed in 1892 and another in 1924—between the erstwhile Madras Presidency
and Princely State of Mysore.
1. Dont keep water taps running while brushing, shaving, washing or bathing.
2. In washing machines fill the machine only to the level required for your
clothes.
3. Install water-saving toilets that use not more than 6 liters per flush.
4. Check for water leaks in pipes and toilets and repair them promptly. A
small pin-hole sized leak will lead to the wastage of 640 liters of water in a
month.
5. Reuse the soapy water of washings from clothes for washing off the
courtyards, driveways etc.
6. Water the plants in your kitchen-garden and the lawns in the evening
when evaporation losses are minimum. Never water the plants in mid-day.
7. Use drip irrigation and sprinkling irrigation to improve irrigation efficiency
and reduce evaporation.
8. Install a small system to capture rain water and collect normally wasted
used water from sinks, cloth-washers, bath-tubs etc. which can be used
for watering the plants.
9. Build rain water harvesting system in your house.
IMPACTS OF MINING
1. Deforestation: Large area of forest is usually cleared for various mining
(surface and subsurface) activities. This can result in
a) Loss of biodiversity
b) Loss of genetic and species diversity
c) Loss of habitat for plants and animals
d) Species may become extinct
2. Land subsidence: Underground mining may cause land subsidence.
This may cause cracking of roads, bending of railway tracks etc.
3. Groundwater and surface water contamination: Mining activities can
result in acid mine drainage, heavy metal contamination etc.
4. Air pollution: Mining process like smelting, roasting etc can introduce lot
of pollutants and particulate matter into air. The suspended particulate
matter (SPM), SOx, soot, arsenic particles, cadmium, lead etc. shoot up in
the atmosphere can cause several health problems.
FOOD RESOURCES
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations estimated that
on an average the minimum caloric intake on a global scale is 2,500 calories/day.
People receiving less than 90% of these minimum dietary calories are called
undernourished and if it is less than 80% they are said to be seriously
undernourished.
Environmental impacts related to food resources
A. Overgrazing
B. Impacts of traditional agriculture
1. Deforestation
2. Soil erosion
3. Depletion of nutrients
C. Impacts of modern agriculture
1. Fertilizer related problems
2. Pesticide related problems
3. Water logging
4. Salinity problems
A. OVERGRAZING
The rapid consumption of grass by cattle stock without giving enough time to
regenerate is known as overgrazing
IMPACTS OF OVERGRAZING
1. Land degradation and desertification: Overgrazing may result in the
removal of vegetation which leads to land degradation and desertification.
In many cases even the roots are eaten away by the cattle.
PREPARED BY DR.ARUN LUIZ T, DEPT. OF CHEMISTRY, SSN
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
2. Soil erosion: Removal of vegetation by cattle stock exposes the topsoil
which can removed by water, air etc. The grass roots are very good
binders of soil. When the grasses are removed, the soil becomes loose
and susceptible to the action of wind and water.
3. Loss of useful species: Overgrazing can adversely affect the
composition of plant population and its regeneration capacity. Highly
nutritive plants may be slowly replaced by thorny bushes, weeds etc.
B. IMPACTS OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE
1. Deforestation: Forests are cleared for creating more land for
cultivation. This can lead to land degradation, loss of fertility of soil and
desertification.
2. Soil erosion: Conventional tilling methods make top soil lose which can
be easily removed by water, wind etc.
3. Depletion of nutrients: Repeated monoculture can lead to depletion
of soil nutrients and loss in fertility.
C. IMPACTS OF MODERN AGRICULTURE
(i) Fertilizer related problems
Fertilizer is very essential for increasing productivity in agriculture. It has been
estimated that about 70 per cent of growth in agriculture can be attributed to
increased fertilizers application. However, indiscriminate use of fertilizers can
cause the following problems.
a) Micronutrient imbalance
Plants require nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) in large quantities
called macronutrients. Other elements like zinc, iron, selenium etc are required in
small quantities called micronutrients. Farmers use macronutrients in large
quantities for boosting plant growth. This can result in the deficiency of
micronutrients affecting soil productivity and fertility.
b) Nitrate pollution
LAND RESOURCES
The top layer of the soil is the vital component as it includes all the nutrients
required by plants. Hence the top layer of soil is, called to be the feeding zone of
plants. This fertile top soil is most valuable natural resource. It takes
approximately 500 to 1000 years for an inch of the top layer to build up.
SOIL EROSION
Removal of top soil from one place to another by various agents like water, wind
etc is known as soil erosion.
CAUSES
a) Deforestation: Removal of trees make top soil lose and hence can be
easily removed.
b) Agricultural practices: Tilling and ploughing exposes top soil and is
prone to erosion.
CONTROL MEASURES
1. Adopt farming practices that conserve soil fertility
a. No till farming: No-tillage or zero tillage is a farming system in which
the seeds are directly deposited into untilled soil. Here special tillers
break up and loosen the subsurface soil without turning over the topsoil.
The tilling machines make slits in the unploughed soil and inject seeds,
fertilizers, herbicides and a little water in the slit, so that the seed
germinates and the crop grows successfully without competition with
weeds.
b. Contour farming: Contour farming is the farming practice of plowing
across a slope following its elevation contour lines. Each row planted
horizontally along the slope of the land acts as a small dam to help hold
soil and slow down loss of soil through run-off water.
ENERGY RESOURCES
Energy conservation process
Energy transformation or energy conversion is the process of changing one
form of energy to another.
ADVANTAGES
a) Renewable and continuous: Doesn’t exhaust in another million years.
b) No green house gases: solar energy devices create no pollution.
The largest wind farm of our country is near Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu
generating 380 MW electricity.
ADVANTAGES
a) Renewable and continuous: Doesn’t exhaust, a continuous source of
energy.
b) No green house gas emission: wind energy devices create no
atmospheric pollution.
c) Moderate capital cost: Capital cost is moderate.
d) Quick construction: Wind mills are relatively easy to install.
e) Low environmental impact: The environmental impact made is positive
f) Can be located at sea
g) Land below wind mill can be used for cultivation
DISADVANTAGES
a) Reliability factor: Biggest disadvantage is the reliability of the wind
(steadiness, speed and direction of the wind).
BIOGAS ENERGY
Biogas is produced by the decomposition of biological matter by bacterial
action(anaerobic action) in the absence of oxygen. The common biological
matters used include wood, crop residues, cattle dung, manure, sewage,
agricultural wastes etc.
Cheapest and easily obtainable biogas is gobar gas (or dung gas), which is
produced by the anaerobic fermentation of cattle dung.
ADVANTAGES
1) It’s a renewable source of energy.
2) It’s a comparatively lesser pollution generating energy.
3) It provides manure for the agriculture and gardens.
4) Biogas energy is relatively cheaper and reliable.
5) It can be generated from everyday human and animal wastes, vegetable and
agriculture left-over etc.
6) Heat energy that one gets from biogas is 3.5 times the heat from burning
wood.
DISADVANTAGES
1) Cost of construction of biogas plant is high, so only rich people can use it.
2) Continuous supply of biomass is required to generate biomass energy.
3) Some people don’t like to cook food on biogas produced from sewage waste.
4) Biogas plant requires space and produces dirty smell.
5) Due to improper construction many biogas plants are working inefficiently.
6) It is difficult to store biogas in cylinders.
7) Transportation of biogas through pipe over long distances is difficult.
8) Crops which are used to produce biomass energy are seasonal and are not
available over whole year.
• Turn off lights, fans and other appliances when not in use.
• Use pressure cooker for cooking. This makes cooking faster and saves
fuel.
• Always cook in closed containers so that energy wastage is minimum.
• Check your vechicle for oil leakages and maintain it in a good
condition.
• Obtain as much heat as possible from natural sources. Dry the clothes
in sun instead of drier if it is a sunny day.
• Use solar cooker for cooking your food and solar water heater will cut
down on your energy expenses.
• Build your house with provision for sunspace which will keep your
house warmer and will provide more light.
• Grow trees near the houses and get a cool breeze and shade. This will
cut off your eletricity charges on A/C and coolers.
• Drive less, make fewer trips and use public transportations whenever
possible. Use bicycles to commute. You can share by joining a car-
pool if you regularly have to go to the same place. Use metro rail
service for easy hassle free travel.