14 Keeping Our

Environment Clean
Expected Learning Outcomes
Knowledge to be gained : • Our environment • Pollu on— Air, Water, Noise and Soil
Skill to be developed : • Ways of keeping our environment clean.
A tude to be inculcated : • A healthy body and mind reside in a healthy environment.

OUR ENVIRONMENT
Our surroundings form our
environment. All the living and non-
lining things in our surroundings make
up our environment. is includes land,
water, air, plants and animals. Human
beings are also a part of it.
Everyone likes a clean environment.
Everyone likes the environment when
Countryside environment
the air is fresh, the water is clean, there is
greenery all around, there is very less
traffic and the surroundings are calm.
Our environment gives us everythings
we need. e food we eat comes from the
plants and animals. e air we breathe,
the water we drink, the materials we use
to make our clothes, houses, etc., all
City environment come from our environment.
We have done our best to make our life comfortable. But in doing so, we keep on
making changes to our environment. For example, as the number of people keep
increasing day-by-day, more and more houses, roads and factories are being
made. To make our life comfortable, we keep cutting down trees to make
buildings, furniture and paper. We keep burning fuel like coal and petrol to power
our homes and vehicles.
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 POLLUTION
Many of the changes we make to our environment,
actually harm all living beings, including humans.
Factories and vehicles produce smoke, which
makes the air dirty. We throw waste into water
bodies, which makes the water in these water
bodies un t to drink. We also create a lot of noise,
which disturbs our environment. We throw
plastics, chemicals and other waste on open lands,
which makes our environment dir ty and Pollution makes our
unhealthy. All these activities cause pollution. environment dirty
Addition of harmful substances to the environment is called pollution. e harmful
substances which cause pollution are called pollutants. For example, smoke coming
out from factories is a pollutant, as it deteriorates the air around us.
When the air, water and soil around us are not clean and are About 91% of
un t for human use, they are said to be polluted. ere are Do the world's
four types of pollution— Air Pollution, Water Pollution, You ? popula on
are breathing
Soil Pollution, and Noise Pollution. Know in polluted air
every day.
Human Activities which Cause Pollution

Causes of Air Pollution Control of Air Pollution

a. Too many vehicles on the road a. Car pooling
b. Smoke coming out from factories b. Shifting factories to outside the cities
c. Use of smoke causing fuels, like coal c. Pollution check of all vehicles
and petrol to generate energy d. Using low polluting fuel, like CNG,
d. Cutting trees in vehicles
e. Planting and growing more trees

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 Causes of Water Pollution Control of Water Pollution
a. Garbage being thrown in water bodies a. Not throwing wastes in water bodies
b. rowing dead bodies of animals in rivers, b. Industrial wastes to be treated before
lakes, ponds, etc. being discharged into water bodies
c. rowing domestic and industrial wastes c. Treatment of river water before being
in rivers, lakes, ponds, etc. supplied to houses

Causes of Noise Pollution Control of Noise Pollution

a. Too many vehicles on the roads a. Control the unnecessary usage of horns
in vehicles
b. Speaking loudly and playing loud music
b. Play music, movies, etc., at low volume
c. Loud parties, especially late night parties
c. Fix a time limit for late night parties

Causes of Soil Pollution Control of Soil Pollution

1. rowing garbage here and there 1. Do not litter
2. rowing away reusable plastic bags and 2. Reuse plastic bags and other plastic items
other items 3. Use cloth or jute bags, instead of plastic
3. Use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc. bags
4. Grow more plants, using manure

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 If we follow the above do's and dont's carefully, then we can keep our environment
clean. Children can also play a remarkable role in keeping our environment clean. We
can save our Earth by saving our environment.

CHECK YOURSELF
Fill in the blanks:
1. Everything that makes our surroundings is called our _______________ .
2. _______________ means making the environment dirty and unhealthy.
3. There are _______________ types of pollution.

Environment : Everything that makes our surroundings

Pollu on : Adding harmful substances to the environment
Pes cides : Chemicals used to kill harmful insects
Fer lizers : Chemicals added to the soil to produce more crop

v Our surroundings form our environment.

v Adding harmful substances to the environment is called pollution.
v There are four types of pollution—air, water, soil and noise pollution.
v Growing more trees help in controlling pollution.
v We should not throw waste in water bodies.
v We should play music, movies, etc., at low volume.
v We should avoid the usage of single use plastic items.

Exercise
A. Tick (3) the correct options:
1. Smoke coming out of factories causes:
(a) water pollution (b) air pollution
(c) noise pollution (d) soil pollution
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 2. We can control soil pollution by using:
(a) playing music (b) using plastic bags
(c) planting trees (d) none of these
3. We should throw wastes:
(a) into rivers (b) into dustbins
(c) in parks (d) on roads
B. De ne these terms:
1. Environment
2. Pollution
C. Answer the following questions in brief:
1. What are pollutants?
2. Name the four types of pollution.
3. List some human activities which cause pollution.
D. Give reasons:
1. People like a clean environment.
2. We should throw garbage in the dustbin.
E. Answer the following questions in detail:
1. How does human activities change the environment?
2. What makes the environment dirty?
3. How can we control air pollution?
4. How can we control water pollution?
5. What are the causes of noise pollution?
6. What are the causes of soil pollution?

Activity Time
A. Why should we use a jute bag instead of a plastic bag?
Discuss : (Hint: Jute bag rots easily, plastic bags take thousands of years to rot.)
B. Look at the three pictures given on the next page. Which picture shows an
activity that is good for our environment? Tick (3) the activity which is good for
the environment and cross (8) the activities which are not. Why do you think we
need to protect our environment?
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 1 2 3

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Be a Young
Researcher
Find out the time limit set by the government for the use of loudspeakers in parties.

Let Us Visit
Observe the surroundings near your house. Note down the name of neighbours
who waste water and throw garbage on the road. Visit their houses with your
friends and talk to them about it. Make them aware about the importance of
having clean surroundings.

Subject Link : Social Science

e river Ganga is considered the most sacred river in India by the majority of Indians.
It is also the third largest river in the world.
e river Ganga provides water to about 40% of India's population across 11 states. It
serves an estimated population of 50 crore people, which is more than any other river
in the world. But, do you know that it is one of the most polluted rivers in the world?
e river Ganga is clear near its source in the Himalayas but as it ows down, its water
becomes extremely polluted with human wastes, industrial wastes, agricultural run-
offs, etc.
Find out more about the river; its origin, the states through which it ows, its
pollution and the clean-up efforts being taken.

FOOTNOTE
® The teacher should help students in understanding the real meaning of environment and its importance in our life.
® Make the children aware of the harmful effects of burning crackers.
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 Model Test Paper
MM: 40
1
A. Fill in the blanks: 1X5=5
1. e _______________ feathers cover a bird's body.
2. A parrot has a _______________ beak.
3. e _______________ bird uses its beak like a needle to sew leaves.
4. e _______________ bird enters its nest through a tunnel like tube.
5. _______________ houses are not very strong houses.
B. Write 'T' for true and 'F' for false statements: 1X4=4
1. Birds have weak muscles.
2. Woodpeckers have long sharp beaks.
3. ere are lifts in skyscrapers.
4. We should throw garbage on the road.
C. Who am I: 2X4=8
1. I suck nectar of owers through a hollow tube present
in my mouth. ____________
2. I swallow my food as a whole. I do not chew it at all. ____________
3. I am a bird with sharp claws. I eat dead animals. ____________
4. I have a long trunk which I use to pluck leaves and suck water. ____________
D. Match the following: 1X5=5
1. It has a long beak for poking into woods. (a) Penguin
2. It is the national bird of India. (b) Peacock
3. It cannot y. (c) Eagle
4. It has a beak for chiselling. (d) Sunbird
5. It has sharp claws to catch mice. (e) Woodpecker

E. Answer the following questions: 3X6=18

1. How do plants make their food?
2. Why do animals need food?
3. What helps a duck to swim?
4. Why do birds build nests?
5. What is leather used for?
6. De ne the process of digestion.
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 Model Test Paper
MM: 40
2
A. Fill in the blanks: 1X6=6
1. Red light says _______________ and green light says _______________ .
2. Substances which cause pollution are called _______________ .
3. Moving air is called _______________ .
4. e Sun is actually a _______________ .
5. Air around us is called _______________ .
B. Write 'T' for true and 'F' for false statements: 1X5=5
1. Keep to your left while riding a bicycle.
2. e moon is a satellite of the Earth.
3. e moon is a planet.
4. e Earth is moving all the time.
5. We should throw waste in dustbins.
C. Name the following: 1X5=5
1. Rocks are made up of them. _______________
2. Soil that cannot hold much water. _______________
3. Soil that can hold water, but not air. _______________
4. e brightest star in the Northern Hemisphere. _______________
5. e closest neighbour of the Earth. _______________
D. Name the following: 1X6=6
1. ree different forms of water
(i) _______________ (ii) _______________ (iii) _______________
2. ree solids which do not dissolve in water
(i) _______________ (ii) _______________ (iii) _______________
E. Answer the following questions: 3X6=18
1. What causes rocks to break?
2. How are clouds formed?
3. What is the solar system?
4. What are the four types of pollution?
5. How can we control water pollution?
6. How are days and nights caused?
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