Class 10 Geo Ch 6 – Manufacturing Industries
NCERT CLASS 10 GEOGRAPHY • DETAILED SOLUTIONS • CHAPTER 6 • MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES

Manufacturing Industries

Detailed Explanations & Solutions

Short Answer Questions
Question 1
What is manufacturing? Why is it considered the backbone of development?
Definition: Production of goods in large quantities after processing from raw materials to more valuable products is called manufacturing (e.g., sugar from sugarcane, cloth from cotton).
Backbone of Development:
  • Agriculture Modernization: It helps in modernizing agriculture by providing tools (tractors, fertilizers) and reduces the heavy dependence of people on agricultural income by providing jobs.
  • Employment: It helps in eradicating unemployment and poverty.
  • Trade: Export of manufactured goods expands trade and commerce and brings in much-needed foreign exchange.
Question 2
Name the physical and human factors that influence the industrial location of a plant.
Physical Factors:
  • Availability of raw materials (ideally close by to reduce transport cost).
  • Availability of water and favourable climate.
  • Availability of power resources.
Human Factors:
  • Availability of cheap and skilled labour.
  • Access to capital and banking facilities.
  • Access to markets and transport infrastructure.
  • Favourable government policies.
Question 3
Distinguish between Basic Industries and Consumer Industries.
1. Basic (Key) Industries:
These supply their products as raw materials to manufacture other goods. They are the foundation of other industries.
Examples: Iron and steel, Copper smelting, Aluminium smelting.
2. Consumer Industries:
These produce goods for direct use by consumers.
Examples: Sugar, Toothpaste, Paper, Sewing machines, Fans.
Long Answer Questions
Question 1
Why is the Iron and Steel industry called the basic industry? Why is it concentrated in the Chotanagpur plateau region?
Why Basic: Iron and steel is called the basic industry because all other industries—heavy, medium, and light—depend on it for their machinery. Steel is needed to manufacture a variety of engineering goods, construction material, defense, medical, telephonic, and scientific equipment.
Concentration in Chotanagpur Plateau:
This region has the maximum concentration of iron and steel industries due to:
  • Raw Material: Low cost of iron ore and high-grade raw materials in close proximity (Iron ore, coking coal, limestone).
  • Transport: Good transport network for the movement of raw materials and finished goods.
  • Labour: Availability of cheap labour from nearby states (Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha).
  • Market: Vast growth potential in the home market.
Question 2
Describe the factors responsible for the location of the Cotton Textile Industry in Maharashtra and Gujarat.
Initially, the cotton textile industry was concentrated in the cotton-growing belt of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The key factors were:
  • Raw Cotton: Availability of raw cotton (Black soil region is ideal for cotton).
  • Market: Proximity to large markets.
  • Transport: Well-developed transport network, including accessible port facilities (Mumbai/Kandla) for export and import of machinery.
  • Labour: Abundant availability of cheap labour.
  • Climate: Moist climate is required for spinning (prevents yarn from breaking).
While spinning is still centralized in these states, weaving is highly decentralized to provide scope for incorporating traditional skills and designs (e.g., Zari, embroidery) from different parts of India.
Question 3
How do industries pollute the environment? Suggest measures to control it.
Types of Pollution:
  • Air Pollution: Caused by sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Smoke is emitted by chemical and paper factories, brick kilns, refineries, etc.
  • Water Pollution: Caused by organic and inorganic industrial wastes (dyes, detergents, acids, heavy metals) discharged into rivers.
  • Thermal Pollution: Occurs when hot water from factories and thermal plants is drained into rivers before cooling, killing aquatic life.
  • Noise Pollution: Industrial and construction activities, machinery, and generators cause hearing impairment, increased heart rate, and stress.
Control Measures:
  • Water Treatment: Treating hot water and effluents before releasing them (Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary treatment).
  • Regulation: Overdrawing of groundwater by industries needs to be regulated legally.
  • Air Filtering: Fitting smoke stacks to factories with electrostatic precipitators and fabric filters.
  • Noise Control: Using silencers on generators and redesigning machinery to be more energy-efficient and less noisy.
[Image of Industrial water treatment plant]
Map Work (Important Locations)
Map Items
Locate and Label the following for Board Exams:
1. Iron and Steel Plants:
  • Durgapur: West Bengal
  • Bokaro: Jharkhand
  • Jamshedpur: Jharkhand
  • Bhilai: Chhattisgarh
  • Vijayanagar: Karnataka
  • Salem: Tamil Nadu
2. Software Technology Parks:
  • Noida: Uttar Pradesh
  • Gandhinagar: Gujarat
  • Mumbai & Pune: Maharashtra
  • Bengaluru: Karnataka (Silicon Valley of India)
  • Hyderabad: Telangana
  • Chennai: Tamil Nadu
  • Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala
3. Cotton Textile Centers:
  • Mumbai: Maharashtra
  • Indore: Madhya Pradesh
  • Ahmedabad: Gujarat (Manchester of India)
  • Surat: Gujarat
  • Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh
  • Coimbatore: Tamil Nadu
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