Essay on Managing Natural Wealth for a Better Life

Essay on Managing Natural Wealth for a Better Life

Introduction:

The development of natural resources depends on the needs and aspirations of people and the level of technological develop­ment. Therefore the development of human resources is pre-requisite for resource development.

The vast resources of North America had no value for the Red Indians as their needs were limited and they lacked technical skill. The sources acquired value when people from Europe settled there. After independence we had greater freedom to develop our resources according to our aspirations.

Development of Thought:

At present our population is of the order of 88 crore and is expected to cross 100 crore by the turn of the century. Much of our achievements in various fields are laid waste by the ever increas­ing pressure on our limited resources due to the increasing population.

Sustain­ing this rapidly increasing population on the limited resources of natural wealth tails for immediate action. Modern techniques of production can help but more important is the need to understand that the fragile and interdependent eco-system cannot survive unless we refrain from indiscriminate use of our natural wealth.

Conclusion:

Despite the enormous pressures on land, water, and entire eco-system it is our earnest Endeavour to make the best and efficient use of our natural resources for the betterment of mankind.

Sustaining a rapidly increasing population on the limited resources of land and water calls for most modern techniques. The alarming condition for our entry is that we have about 17 per cent of the world’s population but only 2.5 percent of its area and 6 per cent of its water resources.

The false notion of their abundant availability has resulted in their careless use. And in the absence of a well-planned strategy we have been unable to exploit their full potential.

The per capita availability in our country is about one seventh of the world average. And against the world per capita average for forest land we have one- ninth only, resulting in their greater exploitation.

These forests are cut for food, fuel wood, fiber and cattle-feed. Human settlements, agricultural and industrial activities, roads and railways, animal husbandry, etc are putting a great strain on these two essential ingredients of modern development.

The basic urge in man to improve his condition has led to the evolution of scientific means and methods. He tries to meet the challenges of life and find solutions to his problems. Water and land are basic to agriculture which, in on case, is the main occupation of the people.

While the soil provides the growing medium, water provides the moisture needed for the growth of the plains. The thrust area obviously lies in optimizing agricultural production per unit area and per unit volume of water consistent with the physical characteristics of land, state of socio-economic development, labour, capital and institutional frame­work. An integrated approach in their planning, development and management is, therefore, imperative to ameliorate poverty.

At preset our population is of the order of 88 crore and is expected to cross 100 crore by the turn of the century. It is estimated to be 1.50 crore by 2025 A.D it is sad to note that population explosion is practically nobody’s accountability but every body’s concern.

Much of our achievements in different fields are laid waste by the ever-increasing pressure on our resources due to the increasing population.

Concerted efforts are required to boost the agricultural production, particu­larly of oil-seeds and pulses. Cultivable land being limited, obviously taking more crops from the same field is called for by increasing intensity of irrigation.

Repeated shortfalls in agricultural production retard economic growth of the country and result in high rate of inflation, social unrest and distress to the people.

Our agriculture being primarily dependent on rains which are generally erratic and vary in space and time causing droughts and floods alike what is needed are irrigation and drainage facilities.

With the advent of high-yielding varieties of seeds, use of fertilizers and credit facilities to the farmers, food grain production has gone up from a meager 50 million tonnes in 1947 to about 175 million tonnes at present.

However much of this achievement is rendered insufficient because of the high rate of popula­tion growth (being about 2.4 per cent per annum, while the average rate of increase in agricultural production is around 2.9 per cent per annum).

As regards water the lush green fields of the Indo-Gangetic plains give the impression of abundant surface water but beyond Vindhyas its shortage becomes obvious. The misconceived notion of abundance of water has led to its misuse in all fields including irrigation.

The canal water rates charged from the farmers in many states are based on the area irrigated and the type of crop and not the water supplied.

As such the fanner applies more water than required, falsely assuming it to be beneficial. Research findings have conclusively shown that for best results a fixed amount of water is needed, depending on the type of crop and the type of soil.

The system is not very efficient so far as utilization of water is concerned significant portion of the water is lost in evaporation, seepage and leakage.

This calls for the introduction of more efficient systems of application of water, even if costlier ‘sprinkler’ and ‘drip’ system of irrigation are recommended where water can be supplied under pressure through pumps or storage tanks constructed at a slightly higher level than the fields to be irrigated.

The design, equipment and the technique of replenishing the soil – water deficit must ensure uniform distribution of water in the root zone.

Under the sprinkler irrigation system, spray irrigation is done under pressure through commercially designed sprinkler sets. This method leads to economic use of water as water is fed to the root zone of the plants by means of a system of pipelines and drippers at regular intervals.

In this system the losses due to seepage, leakage and deep percolation are avoided. Irrigation efficiency of the order of 90 per cent or even more can be achieved. It is best suited to orchards where spacing between two consecutive trees is comparatively large and area near the root of the tree alone need be watered.

Irrigation potential is created after incurring heavy expenditure on construction of headwork’s, various types of canals and other appurtenant works.

An expenditure of about Rs. 47,000 crore in planned development era of post-independence has resulted in creation of about 75 million hectares of irrigation potential.

Better engineering design, superior construction techniques and quality control, reduction in water losses due to conveyance, development of irrigation techniques, technical innovations regarding field channels, efficient water appli­cation, lining of channels, suitable drainage system, land leveling, optimum size of fields, conjunctive use of surface and ground water and the training for the personnel engaged in the fields together with the active participation of the farmers arc some of the steps that can help in raising the crop production.

Shrinking land resources and increasing cattle population have led to imbal­ance in the existing eco-systems and consequently adequate feed and sufficient forage for the livestock is not becoming available. The solution lies in raising fodder crop production by improved technologies.

More forage should also be harvested from non-traditional sources by developing high-yielding and posture crops from different soil situations through improved grassland management, agro-forestry and silvipasture system.

The staffs for agriculture production and the farmers themselves need to be trained not only in the scientific and technological aspects but also in the man­agement sector.

In fact a close understanding of the intimate relationship between soil, seed, climate, irrigation and agricultural practices is essential. Accordingly,

Water and land management institutes have been set up in Maharashtra. Gujarat, Tamil Nadu. Madhya Pradesh. Bihar, Haryana and Assam. Run by the autono­mous Water and Land Management Societies. These institutes provide refresher training in updated and developed technique of on-farm management.

The pressure on our limited resources of land and water id going to increase substantially in the coming years and will not let us rest in peace. The indiscrimi­nate use of this wealth has caused many a celebrated civilization to perish.

Reckless felling of trees, removal of vegetative cover, excessive soil erosion due to overgrazing by the cattle etc are the factors responsible for upsetting the entire eco-system with resultant degradation of the environment. It is time we decided our priorities and acted conceitedly, in this direction.