NCERT Important Questions Class 9 Social Science
NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Social Science
Important NCERT Extra Questions
NCERT Book Extra Questions for Session 2022-2023
CBSE Board and UP Board Others state Board
Between 1880 and 1920, forest cover in the Indian subcontinent declined by 9.7 million hectares, from 108.6 million hectares to 98.9 million hectares. Discuss the role of the following factors in this decline: (i) Railways (ii) Shipbuilding
Share
(i) Railways: The spread of railways from the 1850s created a new demand. Railways
were essential for colonial trade and for the movement of imperial troops. To run locomotives wood was needed as fuel, and to lay railway lines, sleepers were essential to hold the tracks together. Each mile of railway track required between 1,760 and 2,000 sleepers. From the 1860s, the railway network expanded rapidly. By 1890, about 25,500 km of track had been laid. As the railway tracks spread through India, a larger and larger number of trees were felled. The government gave out contracts to individuals to supply the required quantities. These contractors began cutting trees indiscriminately. Forests around the railway tracks
fast started disappearing.
(ii) Shipbuilding : By the early nineteenth century, oak forests in England were disappearing. This created a problem of timber supply for the Royal Navy. So to build English ships and to protect and maintain the imperial power, the supply of timber was essential. Search parties were sent to explore the forest resources of India. As a result of it, trees were felled on a massive scale and vast quantities of timber were being exported from India.