1. Natural Resources and Their Use

Yes. Many of our practices show respect for Nature.

• Tulasī puja is done at home for wellbeing.
• People offer arghyam (water) to Sūrya, the sun-god, in gratitude.
• Trees like peepal and banyan are worshipped. Sacred groves are protected and their trees are not cut.
• Rivers like the Ganga are worshipped as mothers.
• Nāg Panchamī, Vaṭ Pournimā and harvest festivals like Pongal and Makar Sankrānti thank Nature.

Everything around us finally comes from Nature.

• My cotton shirt comes from the cotton plant.
• The plastic button comes from petroleum found under the ground.
• My wooden desk comes from trees.
• My steel tiffin box comes from iron ore.
• The paper in my notebook comes from wood pulp.

• On the basis of use — resources essential for life, resources for materials and resources for energy.
• On the basis of renewability — renewable and non-renewable resources.
• On the basis of origin — living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) resources.
• On the basis of distribution — resources found everywhere and resources found only in some places.

• Water harvesting in ponds, tanks and step-wells.
• Protecting sacred groves where trees are never cut.
• Using cow dung and natural manure instead of chemicals.
• Mixed cropping and crop rotation to keep the soil healthy.
• Not fishing during the breeding season of fish.
• The Bishnoi community of Rajasthan protects trees and wild animals.

Harmful human actions:

• Cutting trees faster than they can grow.
• Throwing industrial waste and garbage into rivers.
• Drawing too much groundwater.
• Overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
• Burning plastic and waste.

Interventions:

• Planting native trees and protecting forests.
• Treating waste before it is released into water bodies.
• Rainwater harvesting and reviving ponds and tanks.
• Using compost and natural fertilisers.
• Reducing, reusing and recycling waste.

Hints for the report:

• List the renewable resources of your area — rivers, wells, forests, soil, sunlight, wind.
• Ask elders how these have changed in the last 20–30 years. For example, wells may have dried up or forest cover may have reduced.
• Write the reasons — population growth, cutting of trees, overuse of groundwater, pollution.
• Suggest what can be done — tree plantation, water harvesting, less use of chemicals.

Steps to transition:

• Install solar panels and solar water heaters.
• Use public transport, walk or cycle.
• Switch off lights and fans when not needed.
• Use biogas plants in villages.

The map shows that minerals are not spread evenly across India. Coal is found mostly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra (Chandrapur). Iron ore is found in Odisha, Chhattisgarh (Bailadila), Karnataka (Ballari, Kudremukh) and Goa. Oil is found in Assam (Digboi), Gujarat (Ankleshwar, Kalol) and Mumbai High.

For your region: Write the resources found in your district. For example, a student from Vidarbha may write coal (Chandrapur) and manganese. A student from the Konkan may write bauxite (Ratnagiri) and fish.

Example — Coal and Iron ore

• Coal is found mainly in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. Connected activities: thermal power plants, steel plants, mining and transport.
• Iron ore is found mainly in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Goa. Connected activities: steel making, machinery and construction.

Implications: Mining gives jobs and helps industries. But it cuts forests, pollutes air and water and displaces local people. These resources will also run out for future generations.

Responsible use: Use them carefully. Recycle iron and steel. Shift to solar and wind energy. Plant trees on old mining land.

Example — The Nile river: Ethiopia built a huge dam (the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) on the Blue Nile. Egypt and Sudan, which are downstream, fear that they will get less water. Talks between these countries have gone on for many years.

Other examples are the sharing of Indus waters between India and Pakistan, and the Teesta waters between India and Bangladesh.

• Technology to find and extract the resource.
• Capital (money) for machines and factories.
• Skilled labour and knowledge.
• Infrastructure such as roads, railways, ports and electricity.
• Good governance and planning so that the resource is used wisely and fairly.

A renewable resource can become non-renewable when we use it faster than Nature can restore and regenerate it. For example, if we cut trees faster than the forest can grow, the forest will be finished. If we pump groundwater faster than rain refills it, the water table will go down.

Actions to prevent this:

• Cut trees only in limited quantities and plant new ones.
• Harvest rainwater and revive ponds and tanks.
• Avoid wasting water; reuse water.
• Do not fish during the breeding season.
• Treat waste before releasing it into rivers.
• Use natural manure instead of chemical fertilisers.

1. Trees produce oxygen.
2. Forests filter water.
3. Forests and roots prevent soil erosion.
4. Insects pollinate crops.
5. Bacteria and fungi decompose dead matter and make the soil fertile.

Renewable resources are resources that Nature renews over time. Examples: sunlight, wind, flowing water, forests and soil.

Difference: Renewable resources can be renewed by Nature if we manage them sustainably. Non-renewable resources like coal, petroleum and metals take millions of years to form. They cannot be replenished at the rate we use them.

What people can do (two examples):

1. Groundwater — practise rainwater harvesting, revive ponds and tanks, and avoid wasting water.
2. Forests — take timber only in limited quantities, plant native trees and protect sacred groves.

• We worship the tulasī plant and trees like peepal and banyan.
• Food is not wasted; leftover food is given to animals.
• Water used for washing vegetables is poured into plants.
• Old clothes are reused as dusters or bags.
• Meals are served on leaf plates (patravali) at functions.
• Lamps are switched off at night; we sleep and wake with the sun.

• Production should not pollute air, water or soil.
• Waste should be treated, reused or recycled.
• Renewable resources should not be used faster than they can regenerate.
• Non-renewable resources should be used carefully so that they last longer.
• Renewable energy should be used as far as possible.
• Local people should not be harmed or displaced.
• Less polluting materials, like mud, stone and recycled plastic, should be preferred.