Live in Harmony PDF

## 17. Live in Harmony ### Key Concepts - Attacks on the environment - Types of pollution - Causes of pollution - Protecting our environment **Tick (✔) the activities which are harmful to the environment.** ## POLLUTION Pollution is the process by which humans make their surroundings dirty by add...

## 17. Live in Harmony ### Key Concepts - Attacks on the environment - Types of pollution - Causes of pollution - Protecting our environment **Tick (✔) the activities which are harmful to the environment.** ## POLLUTION Pollution is the process by which humans make their surroundings dirty by adding harmful substances to soil, water, air and land. Let us discuss them in detail. ### Water pollution Water pollution occurs when water bodies are contaminated with harmful chemicals and other substances. Factory and household wastes, which are improperly disposed off into the water bodies are a major cause of water pollution. Oil spills are also a major reason for water pollution. Often, oil tankers (ships carrying oil) leak oil while they are transporting it. Water also gets polluted when people wash their clothes and utensils in ponds, lakes and rivers. Natural factors, such as storms, can also pollute water by mixing soil and dust particles with it. Water pollution can lead to several diseases, such as dysentery, typhoid, jaundice, gastroenteritis, and cholera. It can also endanger marine plants and animals. Once polluted, water cannot be used for purposes like cooking and drinking. **Since the first clean-up in 1986, Texas Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up nearly 10,000 tonnes of trash from the beaches.** ### Land pollution The Green Revolution helped India to become self-sufficient and prosperous, by growing surplus crops. There was a time when we had to buy food grains from other countries, but today we are exporting them. This has been made possible because of modern methods of farming, pest control, as well as use of high yielding seeds. However, in some villages in India, excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides has affected the land and also harmed the farmers and their families. Excess use of pesticides contaminates the water and soil. Moreover, most farmers are not educated and do not understand the importance of precautions to be taken while spraying pesticides. This severely damages the fertility of the land. Land pollution is also caused by garbage and industrial waste. Improper garbage disposal in cities leads to a lot of land pollution. Excessive usage of garbage bags or plastic bags is choking the land. These are non-biodegradable and take thousands of years to degrade. **Wise Owl Asks** **What do you do every day that helps to reduce pollution?** **List the activities in your everyday life which contribute to air pollution?** ### Air pollution Air pollution occurs due to natural as well as human-led causes. The major cause of air pollution is the use of fuel in homes, factories and vehicles. This releases gases, such as carbon dioxide, sulphur oxide and carbon monoxide in the air. Poisonous chemicals are released through the smoke that comes out from various factories. The same thing happens when we burn firecrackers. **Industrial pollution** The natural causes of air pollution are forest fires, sandstorms and volcanic eruptions. Pollen grains can also cause air pollution, which is harmful for the eyes and respiratory organs. The impurities in the air lead to an increase in asthma and other bronchial problems. It can also lead to irritation in the eyes, headaches, skin allergies and damaged lungs. Acid rain is also an after-effect of air pollution. Acid rain can seriously damage water, soil, and forests, and also have a bad effect on human health. Another after-effect of air pollution is smog – a combination of smoke and fog. It can also lead to asthma. The polluted air increases the levels of carbon dioxide in the air resulting in global warming and climate change. When the air gets too polluted, Earth’s heat cannot escape the atmosphere and gets trapped inside. That is why the Earth gets warmer. This phenomenon is known as the greenhouse effect and this leads to global warming in the long run. Global warming is leading to some unwanted changes in world's climate. **Case Study** The problem of air pollution in Delhi has greatly increased in the past few years. A number of factors such as rapid urbanisation, vehicular pollution, industrial activities, construction, etc., are responsible for it. The practice of burning crop remains (stubble burning) by neighbouring areas during winter also contributes to the problem of smog in Delhi. The emission of large amounts of pollutants in the air has led to the degradation of the overall air quality of the city, giving rise to many respiratory illnesses such as asthma, bronchitis and lung infection, among others. 1. What are some of the causes that lead to air pollution in Delhi? 2. Suggest some ways of overcoming this challenge. **bronchial:** related to lungs and respiratory organs | **global warming:** an increase in harmful gases in the atmosphere which trap the heat from the Sun, thereby increasing the Earth’s temperature ### Noise pollution Noise pollution (also known as sound pollution) happens when harmful and irritating sounds disturb the regular activities of animals and humans. Vehicles blowing their horns and running trains can lead to noise pollution. Loud music can also be regarded as a source of noise pollution. Noise pollution can lead to people losing their sense of hearing. It can also have a bad effect on the heart and blood pressure. Insomnia, or loss of sleep, is an after-effect of noise pollution. It can also lead to stress. Any sound that is over 90 decibels is harmful for our ears. Normal sound for our ears is 20 decibels. ### Protecting our environment The most basic and most important reason for saving the environment is that we depend on it for our survival. Just think, what will happen when all the plants are destroyed in a region. All the different life forms that depend on the trees will perish as well, or else they will migrate. It has been seen previously, that cutting down of forests has led to the extinction of many animals and birds. We also need to understand the basic fact that when we are damaging the environment, we are actually harming ourselves. One way in which we can save our environment is by focusing on the three Rs – reducing, reusing, and recycling. Recycling is a process whereby waste materials are processed to create new products. Examples of such waste are metallic cans, paper and glassware. We also use a lot of things that cannot be used more than once. However, when we dispose them a significant amount of waste is generated. This can be prevented by using things that can be used time and again. This is called the principle of reuse and reduce. **We should keep our surroundings clean.**