Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of

electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the
most widely used form of renewable energy, accounting for 16 percent of global electricity
generation 3,427 terawatt-hours of electricity production in 2010, and is expected to increase
about 3.1% each year for the next 25 years. Hydropower is produced in 150 countries, with the
Asia-Pacific region generating 32 percent of global hydropower in 2010. China is the largest
hydroelectricity producer, with 721 terawatt-hours of production in 2010, representing around 17
percent of domestic electricity use. The cost of hydroelectricity is relatively low, making it a
competitive source of renewable electricity. The average cost of electricity from a hydro station
larger than 10 megawatts is 3 to 5 U.S. cents per kilowatt-hour. It is also a flexible source of
electricity since the amount produced by the station can be changed up or down very quickly to
adapt to changing energy demands. However, damming interrupts the flow of rivers and can
harm local ecosystems, and building large dams and reservoirs often involves displacing people
and wildlife. Once a hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste,
and has a considerably lower output level of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) than fossil
fuel powered energy plants.
A forest is a large area of land covered with trees or other woody vegetation.[1] Hundreds of more
precise definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree
density, tree height, land use, legal standing and ecological function. According to the widelyused United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization definition, forests covered an area of
four billion hectares (15 million square miles) or approximately 30 percent of the world's land
area in 2006. Forests are the dominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth, and are distributed across
the globe. Forests account for 75% of the gross primary productivity of the Earth's biosphere,
and contain 80% of the Earth's plant biomass. Forests at different latitudes form distinctly
different eco zones: boreal forests near the poles tend to consist of evergreens, while tropical
forests near the equator tend to be distinct from the temperate forests at mid-latitude. The amount
of precipitation and the elevation of the forest also affects forest composition. Human society and
forests influence each other in both positive and negative ways. Forests provide ecosystem
services to humans and serve as tourist attractions. Human activities, including harvesting forest
resources, can negatively affect forest ecosystems.
Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful. Uses of water include
agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. The majority of
human uses require fresh water. 97 percent of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three
percent is fresh water; slightly over two thirds of this is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps. The
remaining unfrozen fresh water is found mainly as groundwater, with only a small fraction
present above ground or in the air. Fresh water is a renewable resource, yet the world's supply of
groundwater is steadily decreasing, with depletion occurring most prominently in Asia and North
America. Sub-surface water, or groundwater, is fresh water located in the pore space of soil and
rocks. It is also water that is flowing within aquifers below the water table. Sometimes it is

useful to make a distinction between sub-surface water that is closely associated with surface
water and deep sub-surface water in an aquifer (sometimes called "fossil water"). Sub-surface
water can be thought of in the same terms as surface water: inputs, outputs and storage. The
critical difference is that due to its slow rate of turnover, sub-surface water storage is generally
much larger compared to inputs than it is for surface water. This difference makes it easy for
humans to use sub-surface water unsustainably for a long time without severe consequences.
Nevertheless, over the long term the average rate of seepage above a sub-surface water source is
the upper bound for average consumption of water from that source.
Land occupy nearly 20 percent of the earth surface. It covers around 13000 million hectares of
the area. The houses, roads and factories occupy nearly one third of the land. The forests occupy
another one third of the land. The rest of land is used for ploughing and for meadows and
pastures. The soil forms the surface layer of land which covers more than the 80 percent of land.
The soil is defined as a natural body which keeps on changing and allows the plants to grow. It is
made up of organic and inorganic materials. This definition is given by the Buckman and Brady.
The branch of science which deals with the formation and distribution of soil in the different
parts of the world is referred as a pedology. The professional which deals with the soil is known
as the pedologist. The inorganic component in the soil is 45 percent and the organic component
in the soil is 5 percent. The water component in the soil is 25 percent and the air component in
the soil is 25 percent. The soil particles have fine spaces which are known as the pore spaces.
These are also known as the interstices. They contain air and water along with the dissolved
substances. The water and air content in the soil is inversely related to each other. The more is
the water content lesser is the space for air to exist. The soil has both the plants and animals.The
micro flora consists of the heterotrophic and autotrophic bacteria. It also contains the fungi and
algae. The heterotrophic bacterium consists of the nitrogen and non nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Soil is our prime natural and economic resource. Soils in India differ in composition and
structure. Six Different Types of Soils Found in India are as follows: Alluvial Soils Black Soils,
Red Soils, Laterite Soils, Mountain Soils, Desert Soils. Soil is the interface between the
geosphere and the biosphere. In other words: The top layer of the earths crust, formed by
mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms. It can serve several functions:
Farmers grow their crop on it; roads, industrial sites, housing, mining . Furthermore, the soil can
be used at storing, filtering and transforming minerals, water, organic matter, gases etc. It also
serves as an archive containing natural and human history. However, soil is the arena for a large
number of land use conflicts and potential risks. Soil is damaged and ruined by contamination
such as leaching of agrochemicals, deposition of heavy metals, disposal of agricultural, domestic
and industrial waste. The soil structure can be demolished through loss of organic matter,
salinisation and compaction of the subsoil. In addition to these man-made threats, wind and
water constantly erodes the soil and make conditions unstable .Soil can be restored, but to a high
cost. Soil degradation has huge economical and ecological consequences. EU is in the process of
obtaining a common strategy for soil protection.