Social Studies CASE BASED QUESTIONS(4 Mark)

Suppose for the present that a particular country is quite developed. We would certainly like this level of development to go up further or at least be maintained for future generations. This is obviously desirable. However, since the second half of the twentieth century, a number of scientists have been warning that the present type and levels of development are not sustainable. Groundwater is an example of renewable resources. These resources are replenished by nature as in the case of crops and plants. However, even these resources may be overused. For example, in the case of groundwater, if we use more than what is being replenished by rain then we would be overusing this resource. Non-renewable resources are those which will get exhausted after years of use. We have a fixed stock on earth that cannot be replenished. We do discover new resources that we did not know of earlier. New sources in this way add to the stock. However, over time, even this will get exhausted. Consequences of environmental degradation do not respect national or state boundaries; this issue is no longer region or nation-specific. Our future is linked together. Sustainability of development is comparatively a new area of knowledge in which scientists, economists, philosophers and other social scientists are working together. In general, the question of development or progress is perennial. At all times as a member of society and as individuals we need to ask where we want to go, what we wish to become and what our goals are. So the debate on development continues.
i. Identify the new area of knowledge which has been a subject of interest for social scientists and philosophers alike.
ii. What have the scientists warned about the present type of development? Explain.
iii. Explain how our future is linked together?

Read the following text carefully and answer the questions that follow:
Most of the objections to the projects arose due to their failure to achieve the purposes for which they were built. Ironically, the dams that were constructed to control floods have triggered floods due to sedimentation in the reservoir.Moreover, the big dams have mostly been unsuccessful in controlling floods at the time of excessive rainfall. You may have seen or read how the release of water from dams during heavy rains aggravated the flood situation in Maharashtra and Gujarat in 2006. The floods have not only devastated life and property but also caused extensive soil erosion. Sedimentation also meant that the flood plains were deprived of silt, a natural fertiliser, further adding on to the problem of land degradation. It was also observed that the multi-purpose projects induced earthquakes, caused water-borne diseases and pests and pollution resulting from excessive use of water.
i. What is one of the impacts of sedimentation in reservoirs?
ii. What impact did the release of water from dams during heavy rains have on the flood situation in Maharashtra and Gujarat in 2006?
iii. Explain the negative environmental impacts associated with multi-purpose projects.