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NCERT Class 10 Science Textbook Chapter 16 With Answer PDF Free Download
Chapter 16: Sustainable Management of Natural Resources
We learned in Class IX, about some natural resources like soil, air, and water and how various components are cycled over and over again in nature.
In the previous chapter, we also learned about the pollution of these resources because of some of our activities. In this chapter, we shall look at some of our resources and how we are using them.
Maybe we should also think about how we ought to be using our resources so as to sustain the resources and conserve our environment.
We shall be looking at our natural resources like forests, wildlife, water, coal, and petroleum and see what are the issues at stake in deciding how these resources are to be managed for sustainable development.
We often hear or read about environmental problems. These are often global-level problems and we feel helpless to make any changes.
There are international laws and regulations, and then there are our own national laws and acts for environmental protection. There are also national and international organizations working towards protecting our environment.
Awareness about the problems caused by unthinkingly exploiting our resources has been a fairly recent phenomenon in our society. And once this awareness rises, some action is usually taken.
You must have heard about the Ganga Action Plan. This multi-crore project came about in 1985 because the quality of the water in the Ganga was very poor (see Fig. 16.1).
A coliform is a group of bacteria, found in the human intestines, whose presence in water indicates contamination by disease-causing microorganisms.
As you can see, there are some measurable factors that are used to quantify pollution or the quality of the water that we use for various activities.
Some of the pollutants are harmful even when present in very small quantities and we require sophisticated equipment to measure them.
But as we learned in Chapter 2, the pH of water is something that can easily be checked using a universal indicator.
But we need not feel powerless or overwhelmed by the scale of the problems because there are many things we can do to make a difference.
You must have come across the three R’s to save the environment: Reduce, Recycle and Reuse. What do they refer to?
Reduce: This means that you are useless. You save electricity by switching off unnecessary lights and fans. You save water by repairing leaky taps. You do not waste food. Can you think of other things that you can reduce the usage of?
Recycle: This means that you collect plastic, paper, glass, and metal items and recycle these materials to make required things instead of synthesizing or extracting fresh plastic, paper, glass, or metal.
In order to recycle, we first need to segregate our wastes so that the material that can be recycled is not dumped along with other wastes. Does your village/town/city have a mechanism in place for recycling these materials?
Reuse: This is actually even better than recycling because the process of recycling uses some energy. In the ‘reuse’ strategy, you simply use things again and again.
Instead of throwing away used envelopes, you can reverse them and use them again. The plastic bottles in which you buy various food items like jam or pickles can be used for storing things in the kitchen. What other items can we reuse?
| Author | NCERT |
| Language | English |
| No. of Pages | 14 |
| PDF Size | 657 KB |
| Category | Science |
| Source/Credits | ncert.nic.in |
NCERT Solutions Class 10 Science Chapter 16 Sustainable Management of Natural Resources
1. What changes can you make in your habits to become more environment-friendly?
Solution
In order to become more environment-friendly, the following practices can be incorporated into our day-to-day lives:
- Turn off any electrical appliance (such as TVs, water heaters, lights, fans, and air conditioners) when they are not in use.
- Avoiding the wastage of water by fixing any leaking taps or pipes as soon as possible. Also, the amount of water consumed must be controlled. For example, the tap should not be left running while brushing teeth.
- Disposing of plastic and glass wastes in recycling bins (many plastics take a long time to decompose and can have adverse effects on the environment).
- Use recyclable and eco-friendly products instead of convenient plastic products. For example, using paper or cloth bags instead of polythene bags is an environment-friendly habit.
2. What would be the advantages of exploiting resources with short-term aims?
Solution
The exploitation of resources pertaining to short-term goals corresponds to the utilization of resources to meet the immediate and the current basic needs. This may not necessarily take into consideration the resources that would be available to future generations.
Advantages of exploiting resources with short term goals –
1. Rapid industrial growth
2. Addressing and fulfilling the immediate requirement of the population
3. Compared to the long term goals, gains are way higher
4. Agricultural development on the rise
However, resources must be judiciously used given their accessibility and availability in the future. Exploiting resources for short-term goals only indicates their gradual depletion for the present and coming generation.
3. How would these advantages differ from the advantages of using a long-term perspective in managing our resources?
Solution
The long-term model of resource consumption enables the conservation of the resources for them to be used by future generations.
This will enable the economy to grow over a longer timeframe. It also provides more time for technology to advance and discover new, sustainable energy sources (such as nuclear fusion and fuel cells).
All in all, the long-term perspective in managing resources has significantly greater advantages when compared to the short-term perspective.
4. Why do you think that there should be an equitable distribution of resources? What forces would be working against an equitable distribution of our resources?
Solution
Equitable distribution of resources enables every human to receive their share of the resources and makes sure that everyone has the basic requirements for life (such as food, water, shelter, etc.). The forces that work against equitable distribution include:
- The regional distribution of resources (such as soil and minerals).
- Corruption and greed of some humans
- Uneven distribution of resources between the rich and the poor.
Sustainable Management of Natural Resources NCERT Textbook With Solutions PDF Free Download