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                       Protection of the  environment should begin with precautionary measures much before it is destroyed and not after.  Let us work to save the environment in our local area. However, to do that we need to be aware of the prevailing  situation first.

                        If any infectious disease is spreading  in our area, participate in any program  organized to spread awareness about it . Usually during summer when there is paucity bodies , carrying waste , water sources are polluted . By health centres , we mean hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centres that test blood , sputum, urine, facaes and so on. As patients  increase, so do hospitals and medical shops. The quantity of bio-medical  wastes, as the waste generated in hospitals is reffered to as , also increases . It is full of dangerous micro organisms.

                  Hospitals wastes can be dealt with when they are separated at the hospitals itself into categories like body parts, body fluids, bandages, used needles, knives and scalpels.For this ,there should be different coloured bins for each kind of waste at every medical centre . All such centres should have machines to destroy used syringes and an arrangement to transport and process other categories of wastes.

               Social forestry encourages tree plantation barren lands. Parks and gardens not only relax and deligth us but also cool surroundings.

               Radiation forms an important technique of testing , prevention and cure in health centres. Find out how hospitals deal with the problem  of radiation. Find out how  they are trying to minimise the effects of x-rays on those  involved in operating the equipments. Pollution in major pollutions in industrial areas , dirty water and lack of drainage and other civic facilities are the root causes of degradation in slums. Continuously high level of noise pollution occurs where stone crushing machines are at work . Similarly at places where stone blasting is being carried out using dynamite , or where flour mills and /or heavy machinery is at work , noise levels are quite high.

               Cinema halls , bus stands , railway stations and markets are major sources of noise pollution . Studies have revealed that the hearing ability of people who or live here is affected due to continuous exposure to to such high decibel levels.Usingcharts , posters , and talks make known your findings to the public and urging people to cut down on the use of blarringhorns on their vehicles and loudspeakers at social functions.

                  Prevention of pollution in agriculture areas by using a variety of eco- friendly  means is called holistic farm protection. There is a system dedicated to test the  potability of water on a regular basis. The city or village water supply departments continually test the quality of drinking water. Newspapers routinely report on regional pollution and the problems it creates . Select two newspapers and study the pollution and the problem  related health issues covered by them over a period of two months. Analyse the news items and features that appeared in the  newapapers and prepare a significant topics raised by the periodicals.

    WATER BEING POLLUTED BY TOXIC CHEMALS                    

When we se smoke,we know that the air is polluted. When water changes colour, it is clear that it is contaminated.When the soil does not yield crops ,it is barren land. High level of noise troubles us. It is noise pollution. In other words, pollution refers to the changes in charecteristics of air ,water and land that are unacceptable.These changes affect plants , insects, birds, animal and human health. As the use of atural resoures increases,waste increase and pollution increases too . this is because waste is a by product of the use of natural resources.Wastes damage the enviroment after an extent, and turn into pollutants. Thus we can say that overuse of natural resources leads to pollution.Modernisation, industry, machines and transport have speeded up the consumption of all natural resources. The resultant pollution has affected  air, water, soil, and life on the earth, chemically,physically and as far as human beings are concrened, even psychologically. Our world today is affected by different kinds of pollution. Air, water, soil, noise, waste and heat  radiation are a result of speedy consumption of natural resoures.

                    Depending upon the form of matter, if there is smoke in the air it is air pollution; when water changes its colour,taste and gets dirty, we  call it water pollution. If the soothing sounds/music turns cacaphonous and unbearable, we call it noise pollution. When heaps of  solid waste gets accumulated, it is pollution from solid wastes. If there is excess heating up in an area we call it heat radiation. When the soil turns barren loosing all nutrients orwhen salts or acids accumulate in it, it is soil pollution.W hile some pollutants degrade into the soil on their own , others don’t.Some pollutants do not degrade on their own immediately.Some of them degrade over a period of time.Some pollutants do not degrade on their own but when treated can turn harmless.Some pollutants cannot be made harmless with any process.

                    When wastes exceed a limit , they damage the environmenmt and pollute it. It is comparable to adding too much salt to our food.The high salt content in food can be refered to as pollution in it .

               About 60 years ago, a drop of phenyl was added to a bucket of water taken to clean the floor.20 years later, a tea spoon full was added or used. At present ,there is no dilution at all, now any disinfectant/germicide is being used directly,without dilution.This is not protecting but affecting human and aquatic health.Such excess use of chemicals leads to pollution.

             Yet again, 60 years ago the bicycle was the most common vehicle. Now petrol and diesel guzzling vehicles zip around on our roads polluting our town/city air.60 years ago solid waste was very little, and it is disintegrated into the soil easily,mostly by itself.Presently with most waste being plastic it’s strangulates the soil.Alongside, the soil has lost fertility due to the over use of chemicals.This is how our rural environment stands degraded today. 

            Then the mode of production changed. Instead of producing implements on small scale for local markets , people began to produce on a large scale for national markets. This led to the diversion of land from agriculture to non-agricultural or industries use. Factories were built to meet agriculture needs for farm implements.    

                  Agriculture now depends on industry for its very survival.Synthetic chemical  insecticides,harvesting,threshing ,storing and transportation to markets,all require industry support. Even to process floods,the help of the industry has become necessary. While water intensive crops such as rice, peanuts, sugarcane , pulses, maize, and others are increasing being cultivated crops like ragi and jowar that consume less water are neglected.The result is that the groundwater level has fallen down in some places. Cultivation of dryland crops is reducing year after year. Now everybody is dependent on rice! The government , by sudsidizing rice throughthe ration shops , has encouraged the cultivation of rice neglecting less water intensive crops.This has caused largescale reduction in the cultivation and consumption of  less water  intensive millets like jowar and bajra. Thus you see water availability ,soil fertility ,crop selection subsidies and people’s diet are all inter dependent.

                   With the success of green revolution, agriculture has seen an increase in investments . As part of this import of some seeds was encouraged. Consequently ,new varities of seeds , alien to the land and its climate,were obtained and continued to be used all over the country.With the advent of the industrial age ,synthetic chemals pesticides ,insecticides and chemical fertilisers produced by industries began to be used on a large scale .The arrival of tractors and mills further mechanized agriculture . Agriculture markets promoted trade and commercial crops .There have now became an industry .At this stage, the basic needs of agricultural sector were extensively met and loans were given for various needs as well.

Under the influence of the greenhouse gases, there can be largescale changes in the atmosphere conditions.Twenty years ago nobody believed that the Earth was warming up.Scientists warn that if this heating continues for the next few decades,snow at the poles will melt ,especially in greenland,and shrink it to half its size.Similarly,many places in Antarctic will submerge under large tracts of water. This melting snow is raising the levels of the sea, submergeing small islands and coastal areas.Many coastal cities may be lost too.

                                   The planet has always witnessed a rise in the sea level .In fact there has been a rise of four to six metres in the sea level since the ice ages .This rise came about 1,29,000 years!Presently ,similarly rise in sea level is predicted in just a few decades. With sea levels rising ,disaster in the sea  have became common now. Janothan Park,Director,Study of planet  earth and Bety Butto -Blisken of the  national research centre for temperature ,Colarado,have shown us how the oceans have risen as icebergs have melted,and the seacoast has been taken in by the sea .Some scientists also tell us that if we do not change our habits,more natural disasters will  occur. The situition is so grim that if the sea level rise by just about one metre maldives and a few islands in Bangladesh will disappear from the face of the Earth!

                      The ozone layer protects us from the ultraviolet rays of the sun .However this layer is being destroyed by the chloro fluro carbons[CFC]that are being released into the atmosphere.The ozone layer is formed in the stratosphere  about 16-50km above the Earth’s surface. In some parts of the world,especially around the Antartica,Australia,New Zealand,South Africa and other parts of the world ,the ozone layer has thinned considerably,The main reason is the release of  ozone depleting substances like cfc’s which are used in appliances like refrigerators ,air-conditioners ,sprays and fire extinguishers.

                         The chances of the ozone layer getting thinned are more in other seasons than in winter.CFC does not occur in the nature. It gets released into the atmosphere from the appliances we have been using for the last 20 years or so.The CFC problem did not exist earlier and is thus related  to our changing lifestyle.Along with CFC’s the other naturally  occuring gases that  destroy the ozone layer are halons[ bromo-chloro- floro carbons] used in fire extinguishers  and in nitrogenous fertilisers.As the ozone layer weakens,the UV-B rays from the sun freely reach the  earth. An effect of this is seen in  the growing incidence of skin cancer in the countries like Australia.

                                                    Ultraviolet rays weaken human resistance to disease.They cause cataracts in the eye.If one percent of the ozone layer is destroyed,scientists say,    skincancer can increase by 2 %.The UV-Brays can also affect marine life like aquatic plants,fishes,and birds.They affect production of foodgrains and fisheries too.The Montreal Protocal is aimed at preserving the ozone layer.High temperatures cause ozone molecule to  break up and recombine.In the presence of sunlight this process  goes on perennially.CFC’s are the most important factor weakening this layer.

                                As the planet heats up,the use of airconditioners  increases leading to the release of more CFC’s which  destroy the ozone layer.CFC’s ,even when released in small quantities,are ten thousand times more harmful than the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane as they trap large amount of heat.It is thus clear that the greenhouse effect and the destruction of the ozone layer depends on each other

             Due to the greenhouse effect, temperature all over the world is rising. Ice near the  poles is melting pushing up the sea level. Low- lying coastal areas like Maldives and Bangladesh may submerge into the sea.

                      Carbon is found in all living and non-livingthings . During respiration,humans animals and all life forms breathe in oxygenand release carbondioxide. We all knowthat trees absorb carbondioxide and release oxygen in the daytime and they absorb oxygen and release carbondioxide during night.Since, the  trees and forests are being cut down oxizen is getting scarce but carbondioxide in the air is increasing. Further more,in cities and villages,fallen leaves are burnt,causing the release of carbon gases, adding to the green house effect.We can thus see that the burning of anything on the Earth releases green house gases like carbondioxide into the atmosphere.

                    With the release of the greenhouse gases ,theEarth gets heated up.This also has a severe impact on agriculture.Due to green house effect the temperature rises increasing the evaporation.The land loses its moisture .Insects,pests and weeds in the farms multiply faster.The soil loses its fertility faster.Increased photosynthesis can lead to higher crop yields but crops may need more water.Availability of carbondioxide may quicken the harvesting process and increase crop output .But persisting high temperatures even during winter may cut down the yield of cereals and fruits due to the reduction in moisture.

                        Reduction in time between sowing and reaping may lead to reduced crop production.Increased rate of evaporation due to the rise in temperature may lead to increased rainfall as well as to greater humidity in the air.These climatic conditions favour growth of fungus,micro organisms and pests and they can cause severe crop losses.On the hand sudden rise and fall of temperatures would lead to repeated droughts and floods that can destroy vast areas of farmland.The Kyoto Protocal was signed specifically to avoid the above situation.According to this,all countries across the world will have to gradually limit emision of greenhouse gases.As the initial step, however,the countries have to plant trees that absorb these gases so as to reduce their effect.

                                  The effects of ozone depletion and green house gaseses is being felt allover the world.Thus ,a world wide effort is required to tackle the problems.In 1992,the nations of the world signed a ClimaticChange agreement in Rio de janerio.According to this agreement, all nations of the world have agreed to do what they can to reduce their emissions of the greenhouse gasesand ozone depleting substances.To acheive this ,there should be a cut in the use of fossils fuels and of appliances that affect the ozone layer.If we don’t change our lifestyle we can’t escapethe effects of greenhouse gases,can’t stop the destruction of the ozone layer and we cannot stop acid rains.

                                   The planet has always witnessed a rise in the sea level .In fact there has been a rise of four to six metres in the sea level since the ice ages .This rise came about 1,29,000 years!Presently ,similarly rise in sea level is predicted in just a few decades. With sea levels rising ,disaster in the sea  have became common now. Janothan Park,Director,Study of planet  earth and Bety Butto -Blisken of the  national research centre for temperature ,Colarado,have shown us how the oceans have risen as icebergs have melted,and the seacoast has been taken in by the sea .Some scientists also tell us that if we do not change our habits,more natural disasters will  occur. The situition is so grim that if the sea level rise by just about one metre maldives and a few islands in Bangladesh will disappear from the face of the Earth!

                      The ozone layer protects us from the ultraviolet rays of the sun .However this layer is being destroyed by the chloro fluro carbons[CFC]that are being released into the atmosphere.The ozone layer is formed in the stratosphere  about 16-50km above the Earth’s surface. In some parts of the world,especially around the Antartica,Australia,New Zealand,South Africa and other parts of the world ,the ozone layer has thinned considerably,The main reason is the release of  ozone depleting substances like cfc’s which are used in appliances like refrigerators ,air-conditioners ,sprays and fire extinguishers.

                         The chances of the ozone layer getting thinned are more in other seasons than in winter.CFC does not occur in the nature. It gets released into the atmosphere from the appliances we have been using for the last 20 years or so.The CFC problem did not exist earlier and is thus related  to our changing lifestyle.Along with CFC’s the other naturally  occuring gases that  destroy the ozone layer are halons[ bromo-chloro- floro carbons] used in fire extinguishers  and in nitrogenous fertilisers.As the ozone layer weakens,the UV-B rays from the sun freely reach the  earth. An effect of this is seen in  the growing incidence of skin cancer in the countries like Australia.

                                                    Ultraviolet rays weaken human resistance to disease.They cause cataracts in the eye.If one percent of the ozone layer is destroyed,scientists say,    skincancer can increase by 2 %.The UV-Brays can also affect marine life like aquatic plants,fishes,and birds.They affect production of foodgrains and fisheries too.The Montreal Protocal is aimed at preserving the ozone layer.High temperatures cause ozone molecule to  break up and recombine.In the presence of sunlight this process  goes on perennially.CFC’s are the most important factor weakening this layer.

                                As the planet heats up,the use of airconditioners  increases leading to the release of more CFC’s which  destroy the ozone layer.CFC’s ,even when released in small quantities,are ten thousand times more harmful than the greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane as they trap large amount of heat.It is thus clear that the greenhouse effect and the destruction of the ozone layer depends on each other

Earlier , in our villages , waste generated on the fields and animal waste was used as manure for  the  farms and there was no problem of its disposal. After the harvest , grass,leaves and  stems from the crop were used  as fodder  for farm animals while the dung from the animals was again used as manure. So long as this was done,  waste was never a problems . With change  in the lifestyle of villagers and the abondoning of recycling by urbanites, waste has turned out to be a major  problem . The desire to somehow get rid of waste has turned every street into a waste dump.

                       On an average,every person generates about half a kilo of waste everyday.Most of this waste is packed in plastic bags.In the past,waste was disposed of outside the town/city.At present,however,houses have come up even here and the residents object to waste being dumped there.However farther we go from an inhabited area,the problem of waste seems to have no solution.

                    All over the world , people are working to separate dry from wet waste . Wet waste is being used as fodder for animals and dry waste like plastic, metals, paper and so on is handed over to the scrap dealer for recycling. So we must popularize the method of reduce , reuse, and  recycle of  waste.

                 In every  village and city, we have  farm animals . However, fodder is scarce in urbans  areas . As a result , animals including the milk-giving  cattle now depend on waste bins  for their food . In  our waste bins ,  we can see all kinds of rubbish from bllod ridden bio-medical wastes  discarded by hospitals to plastic bags  from houses . Segragation of wastes is the need of the hour . Not only should wet waste be  segragated from dry waste at homes  and other places , we need to immediately stop disposal of hospital  waste in the municipal waste sites . Hospital  waste is  partically  dangerous . It should be disposed in a scientific  manner.

                  As far as the waste is  concerned, we should separate the dry waste from wet waste  and  use the vegetable waste to feed animals. This will reduce the waste pile in the dump yard by half and at the same time, ensure good  health  to the animals. Cooked wastes food could be fed to dogs and pigs in the area. Alternatively, all the  wet waste from the kitchen could be put in a clay pot and layered at the top with soil. When this process is continued for some weeks, slowly the contents will turn into fine manure that can be then usedto nurture the plants at  home.