Sustainable Management of Natural Resources | Class 10 CBSE | Web Notes | Part 1: Introduction
Economic development is linked to environmental conservation. Thus, sustainable development implies a change in all aspects of life.
Overexploitation of natural resources leads to various environmental problems. E.g., Ganga Action Plan (1985) came about due to the very poor water quality in the Ganga. Presence of Coliform bacteria (found in human intestines) in water indicates contamination.
Total Coliform count levels in the Ganga
Reasons for Pollution of the Ganga
Garbage, sewage, and excreta from a hundred towns and cities in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal.
Human activities such as bathing, washing of clothes, and immersion of ashes or unburnt corpses.
Chemical effluents from industries.
Namami Gange Programme: An Integrated Conservation Mission approved by the Union Government in June 2014. It has two objectives: (i) effective abatement of pollution; (ii) conservation and rejuvenation of River Ganga.
National Mission for Clean Ganga: An implementation wing set up in October 2015.
The Five R’s to Save the Environment
Refuse: Say no to unused things. Refuse products that harm the environment. Avoid single-use plastic carry bags.
Reduce: Use less. E.g., switch off unnecessary lights and fans to save electricity, repair leaky taps to save water, do not waste food.
Reuse: Use things again and again. E.g., reverse used envelopes to use again. Plastic bottles can be used to store things. This is better than recycling because the recycling process uses some energy.
Repurpose: If a product can no longer be used for its original purpose, use it for another purpose. E.g., cracked crockery or cups with broken handles can be used to grow plants and as feeding vessels for birds.
Recycle: Collect plastic, paper, glass, and metal items and recycle them to make new things instead of creating fresh ones. To recycle, wastes need to be segregated so that recyclable material is not dumped with other wastes.
Why Do We Need to Manage Our Resources?
Resources, except solar energy, are obtained from Earth, but these are not unlimited. With the increase in human population, the demand for resources also increases.
Importance of management of natural resources:
For sustainable use of resources for the next generation.
To ensure equitable distribution of resources.
Safe disposal of waste. E.g., mining causes pollution because of the large amount of slag.
Principles of conservation and sustainable management were well established in pre-historic India. E.g., cultural landscapes such as sacred forests and groves, sacred corridors, and ethno-forestry practices.
