Managing Natural Resources: Focus on Land and Water

Natural resource management and sustainable development has, of late, assumed great importance, especially because of ecological crisis and environmental dangers which are looming large. Today the issues related to natural resource exploitation, consequences, their conservation, preservation and management leading to sustainable development have become the major thrust areas of teaching and research. Also, sustainability of natural resources, especially water and land resources and their efficient use is one of the core programmes of Government of Indias Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) for strategic development, this objective can only be achieved if the resources are used judiciously. Although land and water resources, the focus of the present book, are vital for human survival and development, unfortunately both are under threat and are increasing strain worldwide. These resources have wide and significantly varying implications in rural and urban settlements, especially in India, where population has been continuously growing and, therefore, the demand of land and water is intensifying. This has necessitated urgent need for reviewing the availability of land and water resources and their conservation. Besides dealing with the theoretical aspects, this compendium presents case studies on natural resources as well, which reveal ground realities at micro and meso levels too. Pedagogical features like maps, diagrams, satellite imageries and latest database of the primary and secondary nature distinguish this book from other works on the subject. The book will be of immense use to postgraduate students and research scholars of geography and related disciplines such as rural-urban studies and environmental science. The thematic approach of the book provides reasonably good contents for cogitation to researchers. Policy makers, planners and academicians may also be benefitted while framing futuristic norms which may lead to sustainable development, the ultimate goal. Table of Contents:List of FiguresList of TablesPreface AcknowledgementsProf. R.L. Dwivedi: A Reine Geographer - H.N. Misra Introduction - H.N. Misra. Part I: Conceptual Background: An Overview Natural Resources and Development: Focus on Land, Water and Minerals - R.P. Misra and H.N. Misra Population Resources and Development - B. Thakur Revisiting the Classical Land use Model of Von Thunen - H.N. Misra and Reena Pradhan Water as Foe, Water as Friend: Lessons from Bengals Millennium Flood - G.P. Chapman and K. Rudra Natural Resources in the Indian Ocean and National Security - H. Sharma Part II: Land Resources Population and Land Resource Development: The Contemporary Situation in Madhya Pradesh - S.K. Sharma Land and Land Use Planning in the Indian Context - Arun Chaturvedi and A.K. Maji Land Resource Management: Key to Sustainable Agricultural Development - Mridula Singh Wasteland Mapping, Analysis and Management of the Rushikulya Basin - Damodar Panda Geomorphic Features in Land Resource Management - S.P. Mishra and Kavita Mishra Morphometric Analysis of Watershed: A Case of Thirot in Himachal Pradesh - Ashwani Kumar and D.D. Sharma Spatial Patterns of Agricultural Development in J&K - G.B. Singh and Sandeep Kaur Part III: Water Resources Perennials in Peril: A Case of The Yamuna River - H.N. Misra and Ashutosh Mishra Water Resource Management of the Brahmaputra Basin - S.C. Mukhopadhyay Water Resources in Kashmir Valley: A Scarcity in Plenty - Ali Mohammad and Abdul B. Naik Ground Water Prospect in Panchkula District, Haryana - S. Kant and A.C. Pandey Declining Ground Water Level of Allahabad District, Uttar Pradesh - Archana Tripathi and S.K. Tripathi Estimation of Run Off for Rain Water Harvesting in Haryana - Inder Jeet Ground Water Resource Situation in Eastern Barddhaman, West Bengal - Mahamaya Laha (Mukharjee) Part IV: Natural Resources Management Natural Resource Management in a Mountainous Environment: The Case of Solan District, Himachal Pradesh - D.D. Sharma and H.N. Misra Water Resource Management in Arunachal Pradesh - Vishal Gupta and A.A. Ansari Water Supply in Nagpur City: Management Based on Peoples Perception - S. Girgaonkar and N. Charthad Urban Water Supply and Ground Water Management: The Case of Allahabad City - D.S. Pandey Role of NGO in Water Conservation and Village Development - Abdul Shaban Drought Management in India - P.S. Tiwari Drought Mitigation in Rajasthan - M. Kannan Rain Water Harvesting: An Answer to Depleting Ground Water - Zubaida Farooqui, Amna Farooqui and Qutub Jahan Watershed Development Model and The Case of Bihar - H.N. Misra and Ashutosh MishraIndexAbout the Editor:Harikesh N. Misra, PhD, is Emeritus Professor of Geography in the University of Allahabad. Currently he is President of the National Association of Geographers, India (NAGI). He had the opportunity to be exposed to different facets of modern geography as US Government Senior Fulb