Types of Natural resources, Rainwater harvesting, Coal and Petroleum. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Refuse

1.  Anything in the environment ‘which can be used’ is
called a ‘natural resource’. Some of our important
natural resources are : Forests and Wildlife, Water,
Coal and Petroleum.

3.  A system of controlling the use of natural resources in such a
way as to avoid their wastage and to use them in the most
effective way, is called management of natural resources.

4.  The development which meets the current basic
human needs and also preserves the resources
for the needs of future generations, is called
sustainable development

5. We need to manage our natural resources because of the
following reasons :
 The resources of the earth are limited..
 The proper management of natural resources takes into
consideration long-term perspective (or view) and prevents
their exploitation to the hilt for short-term gains.
 The proper management can ensure equitable distribution
of natural resources
 The proper management will take into consideration the
damage caused to the environment during the ‘extraction’
or ‘use’ of the natural resources and find ways and means
to minimise this damage.

6.  A large area of land on which trees and other plants grow
naturally is called a forest. And the wild animals (like lion,
tiger, elephants, deer, snakes, etc.) and birds which live in a
forest, are called wildlife.
 One of the main aim of the management of
forests and wildlife is to conserve the biodiversity which we
have inherited

7. A person with an interest or concern in something is called a
stakeholder.
 The people who live in and around the forest
 . The Forest Department of the
Government
 The industrialists
 The forest and wildlife activists

8. A major programme called silviculture has been started to
replenish the forests by growing more trees and plants.

9. (I) THE CASE OF KHEJRI TREES
 In 1731, Amrita Devi Bishnoi led a group
of 363 persons who sacrificed their lives for
the protection of khejri trees in khejrali village
near Jodhpur in Rajasthan.
 The Government has recently instituted an
‘Amrita Devi Bishnoi National Award for
Wildlife Conservation’ in the memory of
Amrita Devi Bishnoi.

10. (II) THE CHIPKO ANDOLAN
 The Chipko Andolan originated from an incident in
a remote village called ‘Reni’ in Garhwal, high up in
the Himalayas in the early 1970s.

11. PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL PEOPLE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF FORESTS
People’s participation in the management of forests can help in increasing forest produce
as well as in their conservation.
 In 1972, the West Bengal Forest Department
formulated a novel scheme to revive the degraded
sal forests by involving the local people. A beginning
was made in the Arabari forest range of Midnapore district.
 A far-sighted forest officer A.K. Banerjee involved the
villagers of the area around the forest in the protection of
1272 hectares of badly degraded sal forest.
 With the active and willing participation of local
people living around the forest, the degraded sal
forest of Arabari became thick and green within
ten years..

12.  To maintain ecological balance in nature
 Wildlife should also be conserved to prevent the
extinction of rare varieties of animals and birds
from this earth.
 To preserve the gene pool.

13. Some of the measures (or steps) to be taken for the
conservation of wildlife are given below :
 1. Laws should be made to impose a total ban on poaching (killing) or
capturing of any animal or bird belonging to an endangered species.
 2. Even if some type of wild animals and birds are in abundance today,
their indiscriminate killing should not be allowed by the forest
authorities.
 3. The natural habitats of wild animals and birds should be preserved by
establishing National Parks and Sanctuaries throughout the country.

14. 4. The Government Department connected with the conservation of
wildlife should conduct a periodic survey in all the forests, National
Parks and Sanctuaries to have a knowledge of the population of all
species of wild animals and birds, so that these animals can be helped
in the times of distress like floods and famines.
5. Special attention should be paid to the conservation of endangered
species of wild animals and birds to prevent their extinction
altogether

15.  They provide raw materials for a number of industries
like timber industry, paper industry, lac industry and
sports equipment industry.
 Forests prevent floods and soil erosion. Forests help
in bringing sufficient rainfall by maintaining a perfect
water cycle in nature. Forests also provide natural
habitat to wild animals and birds, and help in their
conservation.
 Forests are essential for maintaining the ecological
balance by preserving the biodiversity (large number
of species of plants and animals).

16. Some of the measures which can be taken for the conservation of
forests are as follows :
 (i) The indiscriminate and unauthorised felling (cutting) of forest
trees for timber trade and firewood should be curbed immediately.
 (ii) In case of Government authorised felling of forest trees, for every
acre of forest cut down, an equal area of land should be planted with
saplings of trees to make up for the loss in the long run.
 (iii) Overgrazing of forest vegetation by the cattle of local people
should be prevented.
 (iv) Measures should be taken to prevent and control forest fires.
 (v) The local people of villages in and around the forest should be
involved in the conservation of forests by giving employment in
silviculture and harvesting operations of the forest

18. WATER FOR ALL

19.  Water is the basic necessity for all forms of life, human
beings, other animals as well as plants.
 Some parts of our country have good resources of
water whereas other parts suffer from chronic water
shortage.
 It is, therefore, necessary to have proper management
of available water resources so that there is an
equitable distribution of water for all the people in all
the parts of the country.
 The various sources of water which are available to us
are: Rains, Rivers, Lakes, Ponds, Wells, Oceans and
Glaciers (Snow mountains).

21. Despite good rains, we are not able to meet the demand for
water of all the people because :
 (i) our population is increasing rapidly.
 (ii) due to lack of sufficient vegetation cover on ground,
only a little rain water seeps into the ground and gets
stored as ground water.
 (iii) the high yielding varieties of crops require much more
water for irrigation.
 (iv) discharge of untreated sewage and industrial wastes
into rivers and lakes reduces the availability of usable
water.
 (v) the changing life-style of people, especially in urban
areas, is consuming more water.

22. DAMS

23. Dams are useful for the society in the following ways :
 Water from a dam is used for irrigation in fields through a
network of canals.
 Water from a dam is supplied to the people in towns and cities
through pipelines after suitable treatment.
 The falling water (or flowing water) from the dam is used for
generating electricity.

24. The construction of high-rise dams for the management of river
water and generation of electricity has certain problems associated
with it. These are:
 Due to the construction of high-rise dams, a large number of
human settlements (or villages) are submerged in the water of
large reservoir formed by the dam and many people are rendered
homeless. This creates a social problem.
 The construction of high-rise dams on the rivers contributes to
deforestation and loss of biodiversity.
 Construction of high-rise dams involves the spending of huge
amount of public money without the generation of proportionate
benefits.

26. Pollution of River Water :

27.  The water in most of our rivers is highly polluted.
 The pollution of river water is caused by the dumping of
untreated sewage and industrial wastes into it. The river.
 The contamination of river water can be usually found from two
factors: (i) the presence of coliform bacteria in river water, and
(ii) measurement of pH of river water.
 Coliform is a group of bacteria found in human intestines. The
presence of coliform in the river water indicates its
contamination by disease-causing micro-organisms.
 A multicrore ‘Ganga Action Plan’ (GAP) project was launched in
1985 to clean the river Ganga and make its water pollution free

28. Rainwater Harvesting
 Rain water harvesting is a technique of collection and storage of
rainwater into natural reservoirs or tanks, or the infiltration of
surface water into subsurface aquifers (before it is lost as surface
runoff).
 Rainwater harvesting is an age-old practice in India. Some of the
ancient ‘water harvesting structures’ used in different rural
regions of our country (which are still in use) are given below:
Region Ancient water harvesting structure
1. Rajasthan Khadin, Tanks, Nadis
2. Maharashtra Bandharas, Tals
3. Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Bhundhis
4. Bihar Ahars and Pynes
5. Himachal Pradesh Kulhs
6. Jammu region Ponds
7. Tamil Nadu) Eris (Tanks
8. Kerala Surangams
9. Karnataka Kattas

30. A traditional rainwater harvesting system for
agriculture called khadin which is used in Rajasthan
 The main purpose of water harvesting is not to hold rainwater on
the surface of the earth but to make rainwater percolate under
the ground so as to recharge ‘groundwater’

32.  Coal and petroleum are called fossil fuels..
 Coal is used as a fuel as such in homes and in industry, or it is
used to generate electricity at Thermal Power Plants. Petroleum
products such as petrol and diesel are used as fuels in transport to
run scooters, motorcycles, cars, buses, trucks, trains, ships and
aeroplanes. Kerosene and LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) obtained
from petroleum are used as domestic fuels for cooking food, etc.
 Coal and Petroleum in the Earth are Limited:
It has been estimated that at the present rate of consumption, the
known petroleum reserves of the earth will last us for just about 40
years more and the coal will last for about another 200 years only.
 It is, therefore, necessary to conserve (or save) coal and petroleum
resources of the earth by reducing their consumption so that they
may last for as long as possible

33. Steps to Reduce the Consumption of Coal and
Petroleum
Some of the steps which can be taken to conserve energy
resources (like coal and petroleum) are as follows :
 Switch off the lights, fans, television and other electrical appliances
when not needed. This will save a lot of electricity.
 Use energy efficient electrical appliances to save electricity.
 Use stairs to climb at least up to three floors of a building instead of
taking a lift. This will save electricity.
 Pressure cookers should be used for cooking food to save fuels like
kerosene and LPG.
 Good quality stoves should be used to burn fuels like kerosene and
cooking gas (LPG) so as to obtain maximum heat.

34.  Solar cookers should be used to cook food whenever
possible.
 The use of biogas as domestic fuel should be encouraged
in rural areas.
 Bicycles should be used for covering short distances to
save precious fuel like petrol (which is used in cars,
scooters and motorcycles).
 Public transport system (local bus and train service) in the
cities should be improved so that people do not commute
in their personal vehicles. This will save a lot of petrol and
diesel.
 Fuel efficient engines of motor vehicles should be
designed to reduce the consumption of petrol and diesel

36. Pollution Caused by Burning Coal and Petroleum
Based Fuels
When coal, and petroleum based fuels (like petrol and diesel) are
burnt, the products of combustion are : Carbon dioxide, , Sulphur
dioxide and Nitrogen oxides. And if combustion takes place in an
insufficient supply of air (or oxygen), then some carbon monoxide
is also produced.

37. These pollutants harm the us by the following
ways:
 Sulphur dioxide attacks the lungs causing bronchitis and other
diseases. Sulphur dioxide also dissolves in rainwater making it acidic.
The acid rain thus produced damages trees, plants, aquatic
organisms, buildings and metal structures.
 Just like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides attack the breathing system
and also cause acid rain.
 Carbon monoxide is a very poisonous gas. If carbon monoxide gets
into our blood stream, it stops red blood cells from carrying oxygen
from lungs to the rest of the body causing suffocation. Too much
carbon monoxide causes death.
 Though carbon dioxide is not a poisonous gas but it is a greenhouse
gas which traps sun’s heat energy falling on the earth.

39. The five R’s to Save the Environment
1) Refuse: This means to say No to things people offer
you that you don’t need. Refuse to buy products that can
harm you and the environment, say No to single-use
plastic carry bags

40. 2) Reduce: Reduce means that we use less of the natural
resources by cutting down on those practices which lead
to their wastage. For example, we can reduce the
wastage of electricity by switching off unnecessary
lights and fans

41. 3) Reuse: Reuse means that, if possible, we should use
the same things again. For example, the plastic jars in
which we buy various food items like jams and pickles,
etc., can be used later on for storing things like salt,
spices, sugar, tea-leaves and pulses, etc

42. 4) Repurpose: This means when a product can no more
be used for the original purpose, think carefully and
use it for some other useful purpose. For example,
cracked crockery, or cups with broken handles can be
used to grow small plants and as feeding vessels for
birds

43. 5) Recycle: Recycling means that we should collect the
used and discarded items of paper, plastic, glass and
metals, and send them to the respective industries for
making fresh paper, plastic, glass or metal objects.

45. PREPARED BY:MOZIBOR
RAHMAN ( B.Sc , B.Ed., TET)
CO-ORDINATOR
IDEAL ENGLISH SCHOOL
GOALPARA