Geography Flashcards
Mention three problems that are associated with the indiscriminate use
of resources.
The following three problems are the result of indiscriminate use of resources:
● Depletion of resources for satisfying the greed of few individuals.
● Accumulation of resources in few hands, which in turn has divided the society into two
segments-rich and poor.
● Indiscriminate exploitation of resources has led to global ecological crises such as
global warming, ozone layer depletion, environmental pollution and land degradation.
Discuss the purpose of Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit and what was its outcome.
● The first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was
held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992 to formulate an Agenda to promote sustainable
development.
● This convention endorsed the Global Forest Principles and adopted ‘Agenda 21’ for
achieving sustainable development in the 21st century.
● The objectives of Agenda 21 are the elimination of poverty, hunger, sickness and
illiteracy worldwide while halting the deterioration of sustain life.
“Resource planning is a complex process” Justify the statement with
arguments.
● Identification and inventory of resources across the regions of the country, which
involve surveying, mapping and measuring the quality as well as quantity of the
resources.
● Evolving a proper planning structure for the development of the resources by using
appropriate skill, technology and institutional set up.
● Matching of resource development plans with overall national development plans.
What steps can be taken to control soil erosion in the hilly areas?
Following steps should be taken to control soil erosion in the hilly areas
● Afforestation - This is done by planting trees.
● Terrace farming and contour ploughing this is done across the hill slopes.
● Restricted grazing of animals and they should be moved over different pastures so as to
avoid erosion of soil.
● Any other relevant point.
“In India, some regions are rich in certain types of resources but deficient in some
other resources”. Do you agree with the statement? Support your answer with any
three examples and what can be done to overcome this limitation?
Yes, there are regions which are rich in certain types of resources, but are deficient in some other
resources.
● Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are rich in minerals and coal deposits.
● Arunachal Pradesh has an abundance of water resources, but lacks in infrastructural
development.
● Rajasthan is endowed with solar and wind energy but lacks in water resources.
Resources are distributed unevenly and to overcome this a proper resource planning is required.
Suggest any six measures to solve the problem of land degradation.
The following measures can help to solve the problem of land degradation
● Afforestation over deforested areas.
● Proper management of grazing on permanent pastures.
● In areas where desertification has taken place, growing thorny bushes.
● Proper discharge and disposal of industrial effluents after treatment.
● Planting of shelter belts.
● Control on mining activities.
Trace the features of alluvial soil with reference to its formation, area, classification
and containing minerals.
● Formation : Alluvial soil is made-up of silt, sand and clay. It is deposited by three important Himalayan
river systems the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. It is bigger and coarser in the upper reaches
of the river and becomes finer as the river flows down.
● Distribution/Area : This soil is prevalent in the river valleys of the Northern plains (Indus, Ganga,
Brahmaputra), strips in Gujarat and Rajasthan, as well as in the Eastern coastal plains in the deltas of
rivers of the Peninsular plateau (Mahanadi, Krishna, Kaveri).
● Classification : According to their age, alluvial soils can be classified as (Bangar) old alluvial and Khadar
(new alluvial). Khadar has higher concentration of kankar and contains more fine particles than Bangar.
● Minerals : This soil is rich in nutrients like potash, phosphoric acid and lime, which is suitable for
growing paddy, wheat, sugarcane and other cereal and pulse crops.
Explain the importance of forests in our life.
Forests play a vital role in our life as they are the house of all the resources and necessities
(1) They are the natural air purifiers, they provide food and are the natural habitat to animals.
(2) They contain natural medications and provide us with fuel wood.
(3) The cattle graze in the forests and get their food as well.
(4) Forests maintain a balanced life on the no planet.
Describe how communities have conserved and protected forests and
wildlife in India?
● In the Sariska wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan, villagers have fought against mining
activities.
● The Chipko Movement which was conducted in the Himalayas, has successfully resisted
deforestation in several areas.
● The Beej Bachao Andolan in Tehri district of Uttarakhand conserved local seed diversity
and Forest.
What has been the contribution of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act in protecting animal
habitats in India?
The contribution of India Wildlife Protection Act can be seen through the following points
● An all India list of protected species was published. The act banned hunting of certain endangered
species.
● It also gave legal protection to their habitats and restricting trade in wildlife.
● Many national parks and wildlife sanctuaries were established in which commercial activities were
forbidden.
● Central Government also announced several projects for protecting specific animals, which were
gravely threatened. These include the tiger, the one-horned rhinoceros, the Kashmir stag or hangul.
● Under the notification of wildlife act of 1980 and 1986 insects have been added to the list of
protected species.
How would you differentiate reserved forest and protected forest?
Reserved Forest
● In reserved forests, right to all activities like hunting,
grazing etc are banned unless specific orders are
issued by the government.
● Reserve forests enjoy a higher degree of protection
and may be upgraded to the status of wildlife
sanctuary and national parks.
● More than half of the total forest land has been
declared as reserved forests.
● Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West
Bengal and Maharashtra have large percentages of
reserved forests of their total forest area.
Protected Forest
● But in protected areas, right to do activities
like hunting and grazing etc are sometimes
given to communities living on the fringes of
the forests.
● The protected forests do not face such
possibility.
● On the other hand, only one-third of the
total forest area is under protected forests.
● Bihar, Odisha, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal
Pradesh and Rajasthan have their large area
under protected forests.
Explain the qualitative aspects of water scarcity?
Water pollution affects the quality of water available. That is the qualitative aspect
of water scarcity.
Overexploitation of water resources, reduces the quality of available water and
causes unequal access of water among different social groups.
Water quality is degrading due to pollution from domestic trash, industrial waste,
pesticides, and fertilisers used in agriculture, making it unsafe for human
consumption.
Why did Jawaharlal Nehru proclaim the dams as the “temples of
modern India”? Explain any three reasons.
Jawaharlal Nehru proclaimed the dams as the “temples of modern India” because
it will integrate development of agriculture and the village economy with rapid
industrialisation and growth of the urban economy:
(i) They eliminate or reduce flooding.
(ii) Provide water for agriculture.
(iii) Provide water for human and industrial consumption.
(iv) Provide hydroelectricity for houses and industries.
Describe any three different rain water harvesting systems practised in India.
(i) In hilly and mountainous regions, people build diversion channels like ‘gul’ or ‘kul’ in Western
Himalaya for agriculture.
(ii) Roof-top rainwater harvesting integrated with tanks was commonly practised to store drinking
water particularly in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
(iii) In West Bengal, people develop inundation channels to irrigate their fields.
(iv) In semi-arid regions agricultural fields are converted into rain-fed storage structures that allowed
the water to stand and moist the soil known as Khadins and Johads.
How has urbanisation posed a threat to A existing fresh water resources in
India?
● Urban areas are densely populated.
● Housing societies and buildings have their own pumping devices to draw groundwater.
● Depletion of fresh water resources and over exploitation of groundwater.
● Urbanisation have aggravated the problem of water scarcity.
● Any other relevant point (open-ended question)
Describe the working of the rooftop rainwater harvesting technique.
● The rainwater falling on the roof is collected through a PVC pipe
and filtered using sand and bricks.
● Then, it is collected in the sump for immediate use.
● Excess water from the transferred to a well, which recharges the
sump groundwater.
● Any further requirement of water can be taken from the well.
