Our Environment is our surrounding. This includes living and
non-living things around us. The non-living components of environment
are land, water and air. The living components are germs, plants,
animals and people.
All plants and animals adjust to the environment in which they are born and live. A charge in any component of the environment may cause discomfort and affect normal life. Any unfavorable change or degeneration in the environment is known as ‘Environmental Pollution. We need to protect our environment to live happily.
For better environment, all its components should be protected from pollution and the surroundings should be clean. We need to take good care of our land, water resources, forests and atmosphere . it is also necessary to ensure a balance between these resources and living creatures, to meet our needs.
Land is the upper layer of our planet earth. It is made up of soil and rocks. Land stores water and provides a surface to live on. Soil contains nutrients and air to nurse germs and plants. Fertility of the soil has been built up over hundreds of years. Soil is likely to be washed away with rain water or blown away by wind, if it is not protected under the cover of grasses, crops or trees.
Water is our line. With water, plants grow well, crops yield more and the atmosphere remains cool. Flowing water is also a source of energy and mode of transport. Rain is the main source of water. It is absorbed by soil and stored under the ground. A Part of this water, which is not absorbed, flows into rivers and finally reaches the sea. Being salty, sea water is neither fit for human consumption nor plant growth. It is necessary to keep the water clean fro drinking purpose and conserve it for growing crops and trees.
Forests is an important part of the environment, because trees clean the air and keep the atmosphere cool. We cannot live without plants, because the oxygen need for breathing is produced by plants.
Trees absorb sunlight and reduce the heat. Plants provide fodder for animals, firewood, timber, medicines, honey, wax, gum, lac and food for us. Tree roots penetrate deep into the soil and from cavities in the ground. The dry leaves which fall on ground, cover the soil and absorb more rain water, which slowly percolates through the soil. Thus, a large portion of the rain water can be retained in the field, by planting more trees. Flooding or rivers can be prevented by protecting trees in the forest.
Air is thick at sea level and as we go above sea level, the air layer becomes thinner with less oxygen. Beyond 12 kilometres above sea level, the composition of the air changes. This layer contains more ozone. Ozone absorbs ultraviolet rays present in sunlight, which otherwise would reach the earth and cause injury to plants and animals. Air is the carrier of sound. In the absence of air, we cannot hear. When the volume of sound increase, it causes noise. This can frighten animals and irritate people. Continuous exposure to noise may lead to loss of hearing. Therefore, quietness is essential to improve the environment.
Climate: - Intensity of sunlight, cloudiness, temperature moisture content in the air and speed of the wind and collectively referred to as weather. These weather conditions including rainfall, length of days and nights of an area
at a particular period or season, are collectively known as climate. The climate changes in winter, summer and rainy seasons. The imaginary line which divides the earth into two equal halves in south and north directions is known as the equator. The region around the equator is warm while polar regions which are farther away from the equator, both in North and South directions, are very cold. The plants growing in different regions are adapted to these climate changes in winter, summer and rainy seasons.
The imaginary line which divides the earth into two equal halves in south and north directions is known as the equator. The region around the equator is warm while polar regions which are farther away from the equator, both in North and South directions, are adapted to these climatic changes. Fruits like mango, Sapota,
coconut and banana which are grown in the tropics cannot survive in the cold Himalayas, While apples and plums do not grow well in warm regions.
People and animals around us are part of our environment. Plants and animals are the sources of our food. Animals also provide manure through dung, needed for plant growth. It is ideal to have a smaller number or animals and people, because they compete for land, water, food and other necessities. Overpopulation can exhaust these resources in a short period and cause scarcity.
Plants are basic for all. Some small animals feeding on plants are eaten by larger animals. Plants or animals which serve as food for others, become a part of the food chain. Destruction of theses plants or animals may affect the lives of others in the food chain. We can locate several food chains around us. Several such chains are shown in the Food Chain chart.
Existence of different plants and animals in sufficient number to support the food chain is an indication of a good ecological balance. Let us now
look at the reasons for the break in food chains. Mosquitoes lay eggs in still water. Frogs eat mosquito larvae and other insects. Forgs are eaten by snakes. Snakes are eaten by mongoose and eagles. If a large number of frogs are collected from paddy fields by people for food, the frog population of mosquitoes and other insects will increase. This may cause damage to the crops and spread diseases like malaria. In the absence of adequate number of frogs, snakes will come to residential areas in search of alternate food like rats, eggs and small birds.
In the same way, when the number of tigers and lions decrease, the population of deer and bisons will increase and these animals who depend on vegetation will destroy forests. When elephants do not get adequate foliage and bamboo shoots in the forest, they will move to nearby villages to graze in agricultural fields.
With increasing population, more and more people have to live on the same piece of land, and this will lead to an ecological imbalance. In the olden days, a large number of people died of diseases caused by germs. With the advancement of science, vaccines were developed to prevent diseases like small pox, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid, tuberculosis, etc. Hence, most of the people now survive deadly diseases and live long. This has resulted in overpopulation. Arrow indicates that insect is the food for frog. With more people, we need additional houses, more food, fuel and other commodities. But, we cannot create additional
land. We need to produce more on the available land itself. In India. In 1951 about 117 people used to live on a square kilometer of land, but now 250 people are living on the same area. A cropping area of 147 million hectares, which was supporting 361 million people in 1951, now has to produce food for 850 million people.
Hence, the agricultural scientists have introduced the following modern practices to increase our food production
-> Development of high yielding varieties of crops. However, new varieties require more manure, assured irrigation, protection from diseases and insect attacks.
-> Application of agro-chemicals such as chemical fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, bactericides and weedicides.
-> Application of chemical fertilizers, because a large quantity of cattle manure required for growing high yielding varieties, is not available.
-> Spraying of insecticides on crops control insect attack. Fungicides and bactericides control diseases. Weedicides kill the weeds and unwanted plants which compete with crops.
Agro- Chemical help to grow more food, but they can pollute the air, water and soil when used in large quantities. Even with these efforts and risk of health hazards, we may not be able to produce sufficient food to feed everyone, because our population is still increasing.
It is difficult to guess what the hungry people will do, when they cannot get food. They may cut jungles, start eating animals and fight among themselves for survival. These are the worst possible effects of an ecological imbalance. Thus, ecological balance is necessary for our survival! Control of human and livestock populations and better management of your natural resources would certainly help to achieve this.
Sources:
http://jharenvis.nic.in/files/Protect%20our%20environment.pdf
All plants and animals adjust to the environment in which they are born and live. A charge in any component of the environment may cause discomfort and affect normal life. Any unfavorable change or degeneration in the environment is known as ‘Environmental Pollution. We need to protect our environment to live happily.
For better environment, all its components should be protected from pollution and the surroundings should be clean. We need to take good care of our land, water resources, forests and atmosphere . it is also necessary to ensure a balance between these resources and living creatures, to meet our needs.
Land is the upper layer of our planet earth. It is made up of soil and rocks. Land stores water and provides a surface to live on. Soil contains nutrients and air to nurse germs and plants. Fertility of the soil has been built up over hundreds of years. Soil is likely to be washed away with rain water or blown away by wind, if it is not protected under the cover of grasses, crops or trees.
Water is our line. With water, plants grow well, crops yield more and the atmosphere remains cool. Flowing water is also a source of energy and mode of transport. Rain is the main source of water. It is absorbed by soil and stored under the ground. A Part of this water, which is not absorbed, flows into rivers and finally reaches the sea. Being salty, sea water is neither fit for human consumption nor plant growth. It is necessary to keep the water clean fro drinking purpose and conserve it for growing crops and trees.
Forests is an important part of the environment, because trees clean the air and keep the atmosphere cool. We cannot live without plants, because the oxygen need for breathing is produced by plants.
Trees absorb sunlight and reduce the heat. Plants provide fodder for animals, firewood, timber, medicines, honey, wax, gum, lac and food for us. Tree roots penetrate deep into the soil and from cavities in the ground. The dry leaves which fall on ground, cover the soil and absorb more rain water, which slowly percolates through the soil. Thus, a large portion of the rain water can be retained in the field, by planting more trees. Flooding or rivers can be prevented by protecting trees in the forest.
Air is thick at sea level and as we go above sea level, the air layer becomes thinner with less oxygen. Beyond 12 kilometres above sea level, the composition of the air changes. This layer contains more ozone. Ozone absorbs ultraviolet rays present in sunlight, which otherwise would reach the earth and cause injury to plants and animals. Air is the carrier of sound. In the absence of air, we cannot hear. When the volume of sound increase, it causes noise. This can frighten animals and irritate people. Continuous exposure to noise may lead to loss of hearing. Therefore, quietness is essential to improve the environment.
Climate: - Intensity of sunlight, cloudiness, temperature moisture content in the air and speed of the wind and collectively referred to as weather. These weather conditions including rainfall, length of days and nights of an area
at a particular period or season, are collectively known as climate. The climate changes in winter, summer and rainy seasons. The imaginary line which divides the earth into two equal halves in south and north directions is known as the equator. The region around the equator is warm while polar regions which are farther away from the equator, both in North and South directions, are very cold. The plants growing in different regions are adapted to these climate changes in winter, summer and rainy seasons.
The imaginary line which divides the earth into two equal halves in south and north directions is known as the equator. The region around the equator is warm while polar regions which are farther away from the equator, both in North and South directions, are adapted to these climatic changes. Fruits like mango, Sapota,
coconut and banana which are grown in the tropics cannot survive in the cold Himalayas, While apples and plums do not grow well in warm regions.
People and animals around us are part of our environment. Plants and animals are the sources of our food. Animals also provide manure through dung, needed for plant growth. It is ideal to have a smaller number or animals and people, because they compete for land, water, food and other necessities. Overpopulation can exhaust these resources in a short period and cause scarcity.
Plants are basic for all. Some small animals feeding on plants are eaten by larger animals. Plants or animals which serve as food for others, become a part of the food chain. Destruction of theses plants or animals may affect the lives of others in the food chain. We can locate several food chains around us. Several such chains are shown in the Food Chain chart.
Existence of different plants and animals in sufficient number to support the food chain is an indication of a good ecological balance. Let us now
look at the reasons for the break in food chains. Mosquitoes lay eggs in still water. Frogs eat mosquito larvae and other insects. Forgs are eaten by snakes. Snakes are eaten by mongoose and eagles. If a large number of frogs are collected from paddy fields by people for food, the frog population of mosquitoes and other insects will increase. This may cause damage to the crops and spread diseases like malaria. In the absence of adequate number of frogs, snakes will come to residential areas in search of alternate food like rats, eggs and small birds.
In the same way, when the number of tigers and lions decrease, the population of deer and bisons will increase and these animals who depend on vegetation will destroy forests. When elephants do not get adequate foliage and bamboo shoots in the forest, they will move to nearby villages to graze in agricultural fields.
With increasing population, more and more people have to live on the same piece of land, and this will lead to an ecological imbalance. In the olden days, a large number of people died of diseases caused by germs. With the advancement of science, vaccines were developed to prevent diseases like small pox, cholera, diphtheria, typhoid, tuberculosis, etc. Hence, most of the people now survive deadly diseases and live long. This has resulted in overpopulation. Arrow indicates that insect is the food for frog. With more people, we need additional houses, more food, fuel and other commodities. But, we cannot create additional
land. We need to produce more on the available land itself. In India. In 1951 about 117 people used to live on a square kilometer of land, but now 250 people are living on the same area. A cropping area of 147 million hectares, which was supporting 361 million people in 1951, now has to produce food for 850 million people.
Hence, the agricultural scientists have introduced the following modern practices to increase our food production
-> Development of high yielding varieties of crops. However, new varieties require more manure, assured irrigation, protection from diseases and insect attacks.
-> Application of agro-chemicals such as chemical fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, bactericides and weedicides.
-> Application of chemical fertilizers, because a large quantity of cattle manure required for growing high yielding varieties, is not available.
-> Spraying of insecticides on crops control insect attack. Fungicides and bactericides control diseases. Weedicides kill the weeds and unwanted plants which compete with crops.
Agro- Chemical help to grow more food, but they can pollute the air, water and soil when used in large quantities. Even with these efforts and risk of health hazards, we may not be able to produce sufficient food to feed everyone, because our population is still increasing.
It is difficult to guess what the hungry people will do, when they cannot get food. They may cut jungles, start eating animals and fight among themselves for survival. These are the worst possible effects of an ecological imbalance. Thus, ecological balance is necessary for our survival! Control of human and livestock populations and better management of your natural resources would certainly help to achieve this.
Sources:
http://jharenvis.nic.in/files/Protect%20our%20environment.pdf
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