Sustainable Resource Management and Agriculture in India

Mineral Conservation and Sustainable Practices

Minerals must be conserved because they are non-renewable resources formed over millions of years; once depleted, they cannot be easily replaced.

Reasons for Conservation

Minerals play a key role in industries like construction, manufacturing, and technology, so their shortage can cause economic problems and price rises. Extracting minerals harms the environment through habitat loss, soil erosion, water pollution, and high energy use. Conservation helps reduce these impacts by promoting recycling and efficient practices. Saving minerals also cuts energy costs, since recycling uses less power than new mining, and ensures supplies for future generations.

Conservation Methods

Simple steps like reusing scrap metals, implementing better mining technology to reduce waste, and increasing public awareness help preserve minerals. Governments enforce laws for sustainable mining, while innovations in recycling and alternative materials support long-term availability. These efforts balance current needs with environmental protection and economic stability.

Environmental Impacts

Mining causes deforestation and biodiversity loss, disrupting ecosystems that take centuries to recover. Conservation through reduced mining preserves soil fertility and prevents landslides in hilly areas.

Practical Strategies

Promote mineral substitution with newer materials and enforce strict regulations on export quotas to prioritize domestic needs. Educate communities on using mineral-efficient technologies in homes and factories for sustainable development.

India’s National Water Mission (NWM)

India’s National Water Mission (NWM) forms a key part of the country’s strategy to tackle water scarcity through smart conservation and fair distribution. Launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), it focuses on saving water, cutting waste, and sharing it equally within and across states.

Main Objectives

The mission sets five clear goals:

• Creating a public database of water data for better planning.
• Studying how climate change affects water sources like rivers and groundwater.
• Encouraging people and governments to save water, especially in stressed areas.
• Boosting water use efficiency by 20% in farms, homes, and industries.
• Pushing for basin-level management to handle water holistically.

Key Strategies

NWM promotes rainwater harvesting, better storage in dams and underground aquifers, and modern irrigation like drip and sprinklers to reduce waste. It also introduces fair pricing, new rules for water rights, and fixes old irrigation systems. Special focus goes to vulnerable regions with overused groundwater, using technology like remote sensing for monitoring.

Implementation Approach

Run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the mission involves states, experts, and communities through inter-sectoral groups. It ties into the National Water Policy for guidelines on efficiency. Progress includes campaigns like the Jal Jeevan Mission for rural tap water, with budgets rising to support it through 2028.

Major Agricultural Crops in India

Wheat and Rice Production

• Wheat: Wheat grows best in cool, dry winters with temperatures between 10-15°C during growth and bright sunshine for ripening. It needs 50-75 cm of rainfall, loamy or clayey soil, and well-drained land, mainly in the Indo-Gangetic plains of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. India produces over 100 million tonnes annually, with Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh contributing more than 66%, and exports surplus to countries like Bangladesh and Nepal.
• Rice: Rice requires hot, humid conditions with temperatures of 20-35°C, heavy rainfall over 100 cm (or irrigation), and alluvial clayey soil in river deltas like those of the Ganga, Godavari, and Krishna. Major areas include West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh, grown as a Kharif crop under flooded fields. Production exceeds 120 million tonnes annually, making India the second-largest producer globally.

Commercial Crops: Tea, Coffee, and Sugarcane

• Tea: Tea bushes need 20-30°C temperatures, high rainfall (150-250 cm), and deep, fertile, acidic hill slopes with shade. They are found in Assam (over 50% share), West Bengal’s Darjeeling, and the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu. India produces about 1.3 billion kg yearly as the second-largest global producer after China, exporting mainly to Russia, the UAE, and Iran.
• Coffee: Coffee suits 15-28°C temperatures, 150-250 cm rainfall, and shaded hill slopes in the Western Ghats of Karnataka (70% share) and Kerala. Arabica is grown at higher altitudes and Robusta at lower altitudes. Production is around 3.5 lakh tonnes annually, with nearly 70% exported as high-grade beans to Europe, the USA, and Russia.
• Sugarcane: Sugarcane thrives in hot, humid tropics with 21-27°C temperatures, 75-100 cm rainfall or irrigation, and fertile alluvial soil in Uttar Pradesh (50% share), Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu’s valleys.

Irrigation Methods and Water Management

Various means of irrigation are essential for agriculture, especially in regions like India where rainfall is uneven. These methods help deliver water directly to crops, improving efficiency and reducing waste.

Types of Irrigation

• Canal Irrigation: Water from rivers or reservoirs flows through man-made canals to fields. This is common in northern India, covering vast areas but causing water loss through seepage and evaporation.
• Tank Irrigation: Small reservoirs or tanks store rainwater for local use. Prevalent in southern states like Tamil Nadu, it is cost-effective for rainfed areas but limited by tank size.
• Well Irrigation: Groundwater is drawn using dug wells or tube wells with pumps. Tube wells dominate in Punjab and Haryana due to electricity and diesel pumps, providing a reliable supply but risking over-extraction and salinity.

Modern Irrigation Techniques

Advanced methods focus on precision to save water amid scarcity:

• Drip Irrigation: Pipes with small emitters deliver water drop-by-drop to plant roots. Ideal for crops like sugarcane in water-scarce Gujarat, it cuts usage by 30-50% and boosts yields.
• Sprinkler Irrigation: Water sprays like rain through rotating nozzles. Suited for uneven lands and crops like wheat in Rajasthan, it minimizes evaporation but requires flat terrain and power.

Importance in India

India relies on irrigation for 60% of its food production despite monsoons. The government promotes micro-irrigation via subsidies to combat water scarcity.

Key Conservation Strategies

• Rainwater Harvesting: Collect and store rainwater from roofs and land using tanks or pits to recharge groundwater; this reduces dependence on rivers and wells. Rooftop systems in Rajasthan villages have boosted water levels during dry seasons.
• Watershed Management: Protect entire river basins by planting trees, building check dams, and preventing soil erosion to improve water retention. Programs in Maharashtra have revived dried-up streams.
• Efficient Irrigation: Switch to drip and sprinkler systems that deliver water directly to plant roots, saving up to 50% compared to flood methods used in Punjab farmlands.

Government Initiatives

India’s National Water Mission promotes 20% better water use efficiency by 2030 through basin-level planning and data-driven policies. Jal Shakti Abhiyan (2019 onwards) targets water-stressed areas with five interventions: harvesting rainwater, renovating ponds, recharging borewells, afforestation, and creating water body inventories via geo-tagging. These efforts have restored thousands of water bodies nationwide.

Community and Tech Role

Local participation through ‘pani panchayats’ in villages ensures fair sharing, as seen in Hiware Bazar, Maharashtra, where per capita water rose from 15 to 100 liters daily. Use GIS mapping, sensors for real-time monitoring, and recycling wastewater for industries to minimize waste.

Challenges and Solutions

Overuse in cities like Delhi causes depletion, so authorities must enforce rainwater mandates in buildings and promote crop patterns suited to local water availability, such as millets in the dry Deccan Plateau.

Economic Impact of Iron Ore and Bauxite

Iron ore and bauxite are key metallic minerals that drive India’s economy by supporting major industries like steel and aluminum production.

Economic Significance

Iron ore is the backbone of the steel industry, which fuels construction, automobiles, machinery, and infrastructure projects, creating millions of jobs and boosting GDP. Bauxite serves as the primary source for aluminum, used in aerospace, packaging, transport, and power lines, making it vital for modern manufacturing and defense needs.

Production Details

India ranks among the top global producers of both minerals. Iron ore production hit 274 million metric tonnes in FY 2023-24, with states like Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Goa leading output; Odisha alone contributes over 50%. Bauxite production focuses on Odisha (top producer), Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh, with growing refineries in these areas to meet aluminum demand. These minerals are extracted via open-pit and underground mining, but sustainable practices are needed to curb environmental damage like deforestation and pollution.

Trade and Export Insights

India exports significant quantities of iron ore (fines and pellets) mainly to China, Japan, and South Korea, earning billions in foreign exchange. Bauxite exports have surged, especially from Guinea hubs to China, rising from 2% to 8.4% of global dry bulk trade by 2025, with India benefiting from its reserves amid rising aluminum needs for electric vehicles and construction. Overall, these exports strengthen India’s trade balance, though energy costs and global demand fluctuations pose challenges.

Energy Resources and the Solar Solution

Conventional Resources

Coal is the main energy source, produced mostly in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal through open-cast and underground mining. India ranks second globally in coal production at over 800 million tonnes yearly, distributed via railways to thermal power plants nationwide. Petroleum and natural gas come from Mumbai High, Gujarat, and Assam, with refineries processing crude oil for petrol, diesel, and LPG distribution through pipelines and trucks.

Non-Conventional Resources

Solar energy is increasingly important due to India’s sunny climate, with large plants in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu producing clean power. Wind energy thrives in coastal states like Gujarat and Maharashtra, generating electricity via turbines. Biogas from animal dung and crop waste provides rural cooking fuel, while hydro power from dams like Bhakra Nangal supplies electricity to northern grids.

Production and Distribution

Thermal power from coal and gas dominates at 70% of total output, followed by hydro at 12%, nuclear at 2%, and renewables at 16%. Key producers include NTPC for thermal, ONGC for oil, and NLC for lignite. Production has grown with government targets for 500 GW of renewables by 2030, but coal still leads due to cheap availability. Electricity reaches consumers via a national grid managed by the Power Grid Corporation. Regional imbalances exist—the coal-rich east supplies the power-deficient west and south.

Addressing the Energy Crisis with Solar Power

Solar energy is the need of the hour because our world faces a significant energy crisis. Traditional energy sources like coal, oil, and gas are running out fast, causing power cuts, high prices, and pollution.

Energy Crisis Explained

Fossil fuels power most homes, factories, and vehicles today. However, they are non-renewable and take millions of years to form. This leads to shortages; for example, in India, heavy rains can stop coal mining, forcing the import of expensive coal and making electricity bills skyrocket. Furthermore, burning these fuels releases gases that cause global warming and climate changes like floods and heatwaves.

Why Solar Solves This

Solar energy comes from the sun, which shines every day for free and will last billions of years. Panels on roofs catch sunlight and turn it into electricity without smoke or limited supply. During India’s 2022 power crisis, many switched to solar, saving money and avoiding blackouts. It cuts electricity costs over time—a family paying $400 in summer might see their bill drop to just $20 with solar.

Benefits and Challenges

Solar helps villages too; rural homes in India can stop using firewood, saving forests and providing clean power. While solar only works in sunlight, batteries store extra power for night or rain. India is building better grids and storage to fix this. Overall, solar is clean, endless, and cheap long-term, making it perfect to end the energy crisis.