CBSE Notes Class 10 Science - Sustainable Management of Natural Resources

Anything which is useful to man or can be transformed into a useful product or a useful thing can be referred to as a resource. A natural resource is the resource obtained from nature. Natural resources form the basis of entire life on this planet. The utilization of natural resources was small in early times due to less human population, absence of technology and abundance of resources. 

1.0Pollution of the Ganga 

• Ganga is a holy river and its source is Gangotri glacier. 
• The Ganga runs its course of over 2500 km from Gangotri in Himalayas to Ganga sagar in the Bay of Bengal.
• The major polluting industries near the Ganga are the leather industries, especially near Kanpur, which use large amounts of chromium and other chemicals and its toxicity kill fish in large sections of river . 
• Apart from the industries, one billion liters per day of raw sewage is also poured into the Ganga. Inadequate cremation procedures contribute to a large number of partially burnt or unburnt corpses floating down the Ganga. 
• These pollutants affect the purity of Ganga for which it is known. 
• Level of pollution in water can be measured by different procedures. Some of the pollutants are harmful even when present in very small quantities and sophisticated equipment are required to measure them but pH of water can easily be checked by using universal indicators. 

2.0Conservation

• To ensure the preservation of a quality of environment that considers static, recreational as well as product needs. 
• To issue a continuous yield of useful plants, animals and materials by establishing a balanced cycle of harvest and renewal.

5R Formula of conservation 

• Reduce : It means reducing the use of the natural resource. Water is saved by getting leaky taps repaired. Electricity consumption by switching off the fans, light etc. Buy products that don't have a lot of packaging. By using car pool or by using public transport we can save fuel and reduce pollution.
• Recycle : The process by which we create new products out of the old ones is called recycling. Papers, plastics, glass, metal containers can be recycled by machine. In addition to recycling the people must purchase the products which contain recycled materials. For recycling, the waste products can be segregated as the material that can be recycled should not be dumped along with other waste.
• Reuse : It is a better option as the process of recycling uses some energy. In this process articles are used again and again. Plastic bottles, cans, glass bottles, tin bottles of various products can be used everyday after cleaning. 
• 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.
• Repurpose: This means when a product can no longer 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.

3.0Forests and Wildlife (flora and fauna) 

• Following are the uses of forests Timber : Forests provides timber for building the furniture, etc. 
• Protection of wild life : Forests protect the wild life and thus save it from extinction. Solar radiation: They are effectively helpful in saving lives from bad effects of solar radiation. 
• CO 2, O 2 balance : They maintain the CO 2/O 2 balance in nature. 
• Paper industry : To the paper industry, basic raw material is mainly provided by forests. 
• Regulation : Forests regulate the atmospheric temperature and water cycle. 
• Soil erosion : Forests are effective means to check soil erosion and floods.

Stakeholders

• The people who live in or around forests. These are the people who are really cut off from the urban areas, hence they totally depend on the forest for their livelihood. They need large quantities of firewood, timber. They use bamboo in raffers, roofing, flooring, matting, basket making. They also gather fodder from forests. Their cattles also graze in forest areas.  
• The forest department of the government which owns the land and controls the resources from forest. Forests department ignored the local needs and local knowledge in the management practices. This resulted in conversion of vast forest tracts into monocultures of pine, teak or eucalyptus. 
• The industrialists are also stakeholders. Industrialists consider the forest as a source of raw material for their factories. 'Tendu' leaves are used to make bidis, timber industries use bamboo and wood to make paper, gum, resin, tannin, lac, sports equipment, furniture, etc. all are obtained from forests by industrialists. 
• Industrialists lobby the government for access to these raw materials at artificially low rates. They have great reach than the local people, so, they are not interested in the sustainability of the forest in one particular area. Once the area has been fully exploited to its full potential then they leave the particular area and move to the new area.  
• The wildlife and nature enthusiasts who want to conserve nature. 

Chipko and Appiko movement

• Chipko Movement started in March, 1973 from Gopeshwar in Chamoli district of Tehri-Garhwal region of Uttaranchal to prevent felling of trees. 
• The term has been coined after the practice of hugging the trees selected for felling. 
• It was led by Gauri Devi. Leaders of the movement were Sunderlal Bahuguna of Tehri and Chandi Prasad Bhatt of Gopeshwar. 

4.0Water For All

• Water is vital to life since for all physiological activities of plants and animals, it is essential. 
• It is one of the constituents of protoplasm. It acts as a universal solvent and its density is similar to that of protoplasm. 
• Water is an important natural resource of our basic needs and a precious national asset. 
• Human beings require water for many purposes like drinking, cleaning, cooking, crop production, and most of the commercial activities like transportation, production of energy and so on. 

Kulhs in Himachal Pradesh

• A system of Kulhs existed about 400 years ago, in Himachal Pradesh. 
• Under this system, water flowing from streams was diverted into man made channels which supplied the water to villages down the hill side. 
• The management and distribution of water was in accordance with the needs of the villagers. 
• During the planting session, the village farthest from the Kulhs used to get water first and the village situated the nearest the last. In addition to irrigation, the water in Kulhs gets percolated in the soil and fed springs at various points. 
• After the Kulhs were taken over by the irrigation department, they gradually became dysfunctional. 

Water harvesting 

• Khadin water harvesting system In large plain areas, the water harvesting structures are usually crescent shaped earthen embankments or low straight concrete and rubble 'check dams' which are built across seasonal flooded gullies. 
• During heavy rain all the areas get filled with water. 
• Only the larger structure holds water throughout the year, otherwise most of it dries soon after monsoon or within six months. 
• This arrangement helps in storage of water, recharge the groundwater, and provides moisture for vegetation over a wide area apparatus.

5.0Conservation of energy 

• Coal and petroleum can be used judiciously for its conservation. This can be done by 
• Continuous improvement in fuel efficiency of automobiles. Complete combustion of fuel will increase the efficiency as well as reduce air pollution. 
• Using alternate sources of energy (non-conventional sources like wind energy, solar energy, nuclear energy). 
• Use of Public transport or car pool systems will also save fossil fuel.