CAUSES OF RESOURCES DEPLETION: The main causes identified for depletion of resources are:

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1 ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION: Almost all physical, chemical, biological and other activities are responsible for environmental degradation. Today we are running out of fossil fuels. There is shortage of drinking water and water for irrigation. Chapter 14 Depletion of Resource WHAT DEPLETION OF RESOURCES IS: If natural resources are misused or overused, they may not be available in the future. Non-renewable resources such as oil, minerals and coal, once exhausted, cannot be replenished. This is called depletion of Resources. This is called Depletion of Resources. Unfortunately, our technological society is consuming natural resources at a very fast speed and in an unchecked manner. So the natural resources are being depleted at a great speed at the earth. CAUSES OF RESOURCES DEPLETION: The main causes identified for depletion of resources are: o Overuse/Irrational use o Non-equitable distribution of resources

2 o Technological and industrial development o Population growth OVERUSE/IRRATIONAL USE:Man is exploiting non-renewable resources at a very fast speed to meet the increasing demands for economic and industrial growth, while the supply of various resources like water, and fuel etc. supply of various resources like water, fuel etc. is limited. This is called overuse of resources. Irrational use means resources are being used in an illogical manner, for example indiscriminate use of water for washing vehicles. How overuse of resources is causing depletion of resources: For example, of the total water in the world, about 97% is salty water which is found in oceans which cannot be used for domestic, industrial or agriculture purpose. The glaciers and ice-caps make up 2% less than 1% is fresh and usable water of lakes, ponds, rivers and groundwater. But there is shortage of water for drinking and irrigation purposes also. This is due to overuse of freshwater.

3 Depletion of soil: Soil is the medium in which plants grow. Soil formation takes a very long span of time. Careless human activities can destroy the soil in a very short time. Deforestation, overgrazing, over cultivation, mining, etc. affect the soil in different ways. Destruction of vegetation and overgrazing causes widespread soil erosion. Depletion of plant cover: Deforestation has caused destruction of natural habitats of several species. About 10% of the species of flowering plants are on the verge of extinction. Destruction of natural vegetation disturbs the ecosystem. UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES: Natural resources are unequally distributed over the world. In India, water is unequally distributed as all states do not have sufficient water resources, similarly, there is a lack of coal reserves in other states while in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh coal reserves are being over mined to meet the requirement of coal in other states. This is called unequal distribution of resources.

4 How unequal distribution of resources causes depletion or resources: a) Confinement of petroleum reserves: Petroleum reserves are mainly confined to Middle East countries which have led to serious depletion of resources for worldwide needs because extra resources like transportation, infrastructure, energy etc. are required to carry the resources in areas of need. A pipeline has been proposed to be laid between Turkmenistan and India through Afghanistan and Pakistan for petroleum supply. b) Natural gas: It has acquired the status of an essential commodity for domestic use in modern times. Without natural gas, auto-rickshaws, buses, two-wheelers, etc. cannot work. The places full of oil reserves have good supply of natural gas which needs to be distributed in whole country. c) Water: In India water is unequally distributed. There is an increasing demand for more water supplies in water-scarce areas. As all states of India do not have sufficient water resources, interstate disputes over water are common.

5 TECHNOLOGICAL AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT: Continuous use and consumption of resources is bound to deplete the resources if they cannot be renewed. 1. Fast technological development and industrialization causes depletion of fossil fuels. 2. Coal is used as a source of energy fir industry. It is also converted into coal gas, electricity and oil (synthetic oil) for industrial and technological purpose. As such, the coal stock is rapidly depleting. 3. Depletion of some other natural resources like forest and land is caused by the mining industries, energy generating plants, automobile industry, urbanization etc. it also causes bad impact directly or indirectly on the hydrological resources. 4. NEGATIVE IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT: Soil and water pollution are caused by indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides. This is the major negative impact of technological developments in agriculture field.

6 POPULATION GROWTH: Due to the ever-increasing population, the consumption of resources is increasing at a fast rate. Urban population is growing thrice the growth rate of national population of India. This is an overall population growth scene in India. How population growth is causing depletion of resources: 1. To feed more and more people, more land is being brought under agriculture by cutting forests. This has serious environmental repercussions, including destruction of wildlife. So forests and wildlife are getting depleted due to population growth. 2. Population growth is causing a strain on resources like land, electricity, transport etc. To meet the increasing consumption of electricity in homes, industries and markets, thermal power plants are using up the coal reserves. So there is depletion of resources.

7 IMPACT OF DEPLETION OF RESOURCES: We all know that our natural resources are limited. Over the years, because of a thoughtful unplanned actions such as misuse and overuse of resources have caused serious problems for the mankind. So the depletion of these resources is causing serious adverse effects on us as well as on nature itself. The following are the ill effects or impacts caused by their depletion on us and the nature: o Imbalance in nature o Shortage of materials o Struggle for existence o Slackening of Economic growth Imbalance in nature: Our natural resources are our assets. They bring a balance in the environment and make it stable. Increasing deforestation for bringing more and more land under cultivation has greatly affected the balance in nature. Shortage of material: Indiscriminate use of resources has caused shortage of material. Many materials that we used to get from forest are in short supply because forests have been cleaned for making cities, roads, dams etc. This causes irreversible effect on the atmosphere as well as on nature.

8 Struggle for existence: Because of shortage of reassures whole world has accentuated the struggle for existence. It has involved men and animals. A struggle for existence is taking place between different countries, between the neighboring states of one country, for the sole purpose of taking control of natural resources of that country. Slackening of economic growth: The economic growth of a country depends upon the availability of resources. Because of the depletion of resources it causes adverse effects on economic growth. Decreased supply of petroleum in the 1970s because of rising international process of the commodity slackened economic growth.