81. Natural Resources of India: Water, Vegetation, Soil, Minerals, Power — Full Notes

CORE Key Points at a Glance

1. 1

   India's Total Forest Cover

   • Total forest cover (including tree cover): 8,09,537 sq km
   • Equals 24.62% of total geographic area (FSI, State of Forest Report 2021)
   • National Forest Policy 1988 targets 33% coverage (one-third of land)
   • Forest Survey of India (FSI) is the official measuring body
2. 2

   5 Major Types of Natural Vegetation

   • Tropical Evergreen — >200 cm rainfall; Western Ghats, NE India
   • Tropical Deciduous — most widespread; 75–200 cm rain; sal, teak
   • Tropical Thorny/Scrub — arid zones; <75 cm rain; khejri, babool
   • Montane Forests — altitudinal zones in Himalayas
   • Tidal/Mangrove Forests — coastal deltas
3. 3

   Tropical Moist Deciduous — India's Largest Forest Type

   • Largest forest type by area in India
   • Sal (Shorea robusta) dominates eastern India: Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
   • Teak (Tectona grandis) dominates central-western India: MP, Maharashtra, Karnataka
   • Both are high-value commercial timber species
4. 4

   6 Major Soil Types (ICAR/NBSS&LUP)

   • Alluvial — 43% of cultivated land; most productive; Ganga-Indus plains
   • Black/Regur — 15%; Maharashtra, MP, Gujarat; cotton soil
   • Red/Laterite — 18%; Peninsular plateau
   • Arid/Desert — <250 mm rain; W. Rajasthan, Gujarat
   • Forest/Mountain — Himalayas
   • Saline/Alkaline — waterlogged areas
5. 5

   India's Water Availability

   • Total annual water availability: ~1,869 BCM
   • Utilizable water: ~1,123 BCM (690 BCM surface + 433 BCM groundwater)
   • India is one of the world's largest groundwater users
   • Accounts for ~25% of global groundwater extraction
6. 6

   Coal Reserves — World's 4th Largest

   • Total reserves: ~344 billion tonnes
   • 90% is bituminous/sub-bituminous coal from Gondwana formations
   • Damodar Valley (Jharia, Raniganj — Jharkhand/West Bengal) is India's richest coalfield
   • India is the world's 2nd largest coal producer (~900 MT/year)
7. 7

   India's Installed Power Capacity (March 2024)

   • Total installed capacity: ~950 GW
   • Renewable energy: ~195 GW (solar ~82 GW, wind ~45 GW, hydro ~47 GW)
   • India holds the world's 3rd largest solar capacity
   • COP26 commitment: 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030
8. 8

   Bauxite (PYQ 2023)

   • India is the world's 5th largest bauxite producer and 5th in reserves (~3.5 billion tonnes)
   • Odisha — Panchpat Mali (Kalahandi), Koraput (largest deposits)
   • Andhra Pradesh — Visakhapatnam; Gujarat — Jamnagar
   • Maharashtra — Kolhapur
9. 9

   Petroleum Reserves — Key Basins

   • Bombay High (offshore Mumbai) — ~60% of domestic crude production; ONGC-operated
   • Assam — Digboi (India's oldest oilfield, 1889); Duliajan
   • Krishna-Godavari Basin — deep water KG-D6 block (Andhra Pradesh)
   • Rajasthan — Barmer-Sanchore Basin (Cairn India/Vedanta fields)
10. 10

    Sundarbans — India's Largest Mangrove Forest

    • Area on Indian side: 4,260 sq km (West Bengal + Bangladesh delta)
    • UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar Wetland
    • Home to the Royal Bengal Tiger (~100 on Indian side)
    • Formed by the Ganga-Brahmaputra delta system
11. 11

    Iron Ore — World's 4th Largest Reserves

    • Total reserves: ~28.5 billion tonnes
    • Top producing states: Odisha (55%), Jharkhand (25%), Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Goa
    • Key mines: Bailadila (Dantewada, CG), Kiriburu (Singhbhum, JK), Hospet-Bellary (Karnataka)
    • Both haematite and magnetite types present
12. 12

    Mica — India's Global Dominance

    • India was once the world's largest mica producer
    • Still accounts for ~60% of global sheet mica supply
    • Jharkhand (Hazaribagh) and Rajasthan (Bhilwara, Ajmer) are major producers
    • Uses: electrical insulation, electronics, cosmetics