Chapter 26. Environmental Degradation and Disaster Management Textbook Solutions

NIOS Social Science Class 10 Chapter 26 Solutions

INTEXT QUESTIONS 26.1

1. Put the following into biotic and abiotic groups:

Plants, Water, Soil, Animals, Fire, Microbes, Topography, Bacteria.

Ans: 

• Biotic – Plants, animals, microbes, bacteria
• Abiotic – water, soil, fire, topography

2. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

(a) Environment can be classified into ……………….. and ………………..

Ans: Natural, human-made

(b) The classification of environment can also be made on the basis of its ………………..

Ans: Creation or its evolution.

(c) Road, buildings and school are parts of ……………….. environment.

Ans: Human-made

(d) Environment is dynamic because ………………..

Ans: It changes over a period of time and space.

3. Activity – Make a list of things around you and classify them into two categories.

In the first category mention those things that are essential for your living and in the second category put those things that you can live without.

Ans: The child will write the names of biotic and abiotic components of the environment of his own area/locality. For example, water without which nobody can live. He/she will prepare the list of other things himself/herself.

INTEXT QUESTIONS 26.2

1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words.

(a) When habitats are destroyed …………………… is lost.

Ans: Biodiversity

(b) Modern gadgets release …………………… and causes ……………………

Ans: Harmful gases, global warning

(c) Extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides have been a major source of …………….. and ……………………

Ans: Contamination of water bodies, land degradation

(d) One of the biggest causes of environmental degradation is generation of ……………………

Ans: Solid wastes

2. What is disaster? Give any one example.

Ans: A disaster is a tragedy that negatively affects society and the environment. Example: Bhopal gas tragedy, Tsunamis, Landslides, London Smong, floods, earthquakes (Any one)

TERMINAL EXERCISES

1. What is meant by environment? Explain it with the help of an example.

Ans: Environment means the surroundings in which we live. Environment denotes all the elements, processes, and conditions around us, along with their interrelationships. It is defined as the total of all the conditions and circumstances and the living and non-living things around an organism, which affect its life.

2. Classify environment on the basis of evolution. Explain them with examples from your surroundings.

Ans: Environment falls into two main categories: natural environment and human-made environment.

• Natural environment: The natural environment includes both biotic and abiotic components, as these have evolved through a natural process. It includes all living and non-living things that occur naturally on Earth. It comprises the nature of the living space, such as land or sea, it may be soil or water. It also includes the chemical constituents and physical properties of the living space, the climate, and a variety of organisms.
• A human-made environment includes all those things that are created by humans for their use. Human beings construct these surroundings, as these are needed to provide the required setting for human
• activity. These things range from the large-scale civic surroundings to personal places. For example, houses, roads, schools, hospitals, railway lines, bridges, and parks are components of the human-made environment.

3. ‘Environment is dynamic in nature and keeps on changing.’ Substantiate this statement with examples.

Ans: One of its most significant characteristics is its dynamism. It is continuously changing. Both the biotic and the abiotic elements in the environment are dynamic by their nature. The environment differs from place to place and also from one time in history to another. For example, the environment of the Himalayas is different from that of the Great Indian Desert, and even there, it is not the same over the years and decades. Climatic conditions change in different places in different seasons. Some changes take place naturally, while others are caused by the activities of human beings.

Even the human-made environment has been changing over a period of time and space. Several villages have developed into towns, cities, and mega-cities. Means of transport and communications have been revolutionized. All these changes and developments show the dynamic nature of the environment.

4. Discuss in brief the importance of environment.

Ans: The environment is our life support system. It affects and influences the growth, development, and survival of all organisms, including human beings. All kinds of our needs are met by the environment. 

• It supplies the necessities for life and supports a large number of life forms.
• We are dependent on the environment for our food, shelter, water, air, soil, energy, medicines, fibers, raw materials, and many other things.
• The environment maintains atmospheric composition and protects all kinds of life on Earth from harmful effects of solar radiation.

But in spite of all these benefits, we find that the quality of the environment is deteriorating and it is being degraded continuously. It is not only that the resources of the environment are being irrationally utilised, but we are also contributing dangerously to its pollution.

5. Define environmental degradation. Explain the factors causing environmental degradation.

Ans: Environmental degradation is the process by which our environment, i.e., air, water, and land, is progressively contaminated, over-exploited, and destroyed. When the environment becomes less valuable or damaged, environmental degradation is said to occur. In specific terms, environmental degradation

is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water, soil, and forest; the destruction of ecosystems, and the extinction of wildlife.

Both social and economic factors cause environmental degradation. 

Social Factors

• Growing Population: A huge population leads to a huge production of waste. The resultant outcomes are loss of biodiversity, pollution of air, water, and soil, and increased pressure on arable land. All these have been putting great stress on the environment.
• Poverty: Poverty is said to be both the cause and effect of environmental degradation. Poor people use natural resources more than the rich. They use these for building their huts, for cooking, for their food, and for meeting many other needs. In this way, they deplete these resources faster as they have no opportunity of gaining access to other types of resources that are primarily exploited by the rich.
• Urbanisation: Migration of people from villages to towns, cities, and megacities to earn their livelihood has led to the unplanned and rapid expansion of cities, creating enormous pressure on the infrastructural facilities. Urban slums are major sources of pollution and suffer from the worst kind of unhygienic conditions. The fast pace of urbanisation has also been responsible for the depletion of forests and the irrational use of other resources.
• Changing Lifestyle: The changing lifestyle of people has enormously increased their level of consumption. It has also resulted in an increase in human activities that are causing serious damage to the environment in many ways. It has contributed to air, water, sound, vehicular, and industrial pollution. The fallout of the fast-increasing use of modern gadgets like refrigerators and air conditioners is the release of harmful gases into the atmosphere. This has been causing global warming, which is very dangerous.

Economic Factors

• Agricultural Development: Various kinds of farming activities, especially directed towards increasing agricultural production, have a direct impact on the environment. These activities have been contributing to soil erosion, land salination, alkalization, and loss of nutrients. The green revolution has led to the overexploitation of land and water resources. Extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides has been a major source of contamination of water bodies and land degradation.
• Industrialization: Rapid industrialization has been the foremost contributor to environmental degradation. Most of the industries adopt the technologies that place a heavy load on the environment. These technologies lead to intensive use of resources and energy, resulting in the depletion of natural resources like fossil fuels, minerals, and timber, and contamination of water, air, and land. All these are causing immense damage to ecosystems and leading to health hazards.
• Economic Development: It is a fact that the pattern of economic development has also been creating environmental problems. The pace of economic development has been putting immense pressure on resources. The economy today has become consumption-intensive which demands greater use of resources and promotes lifestyles that lead to wastage. The irrational use of resources and waste is resulting in the depletion of the environment.

6. Suggest any three ways to save our environment from degradation.

Ans: 

• Use and promote eco-friendly and biodegradable products.
• Segregate your Home garbage to facilitate the recycling process.
• Refuse products with plastic packaging and depend on more traditional packing materials like paper and cloth.
• Demand eco-friendly refrigerators and air conditioning systems that do not use CFC’s

7. List at least ten activities by which human beings have been degrading the environment.

Ans: 

1. The fast pace of urbanisation has also been responsible for the depletion of forests and the irrational use of other resources.
2. The increasing use of modern gadgets like refrigerators and air conditioners results in the release of harmful gases in the atmosphere, causing global warming.
3. The Green Revolution has led to overexploitation of land and water resources.
4. Extensive use of fertilizers and pesticides contaminates water bodies.
5. Excessive industrialization leads to the depletion of forests.
6. Increased use of vehicles is depleting fossil fuels.
7. The modern lifestyle is generating a large amount of waste.
8. Urbanization and an increase in population in the urban areas cause deforestation and loss of biodiversity.
9. Increased electricity consumption is depleting water resources.
10. Dumping waste from industries is polluting the water bodies.

8. Classify disasters on the basis of their origin.

Ans: A disaster is a tragedy that negatively affects society and the environment. Disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriately managed risks. These can be classified into two categories based on their origin: 

• Natural Disasters and Human-made Disasters. A natural disaster occurs when a natural hazard (e.g., volcanic eruption, earthquake, or flood) affects human life.
• Disasters caused by human action, such as negligence, error, or the failure of a system, are called human-made disasters. Examples of such disasters are: the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Landslides that take place in different parts of our country, or Floods due to breaches in dams.

9. What is meant by disaster management? How can we minimize the adverse effects of disasters?

Ans: Minimizing the adverse effects of natural and human-made disasters by adopting suitable strategies is called disaster management. Its process involves four phases: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Though natural disasters cannot be stopped, their effects can be minimized by us.

• Mitigation: It means the efforts that are made to prevent hazards from developing into disasters, or to reduce the effects of disasters to a minimum when they occur. The mitigation phase differs from the other phases because it focuses on long-term measures for reducing or eliminating risks. Even before the phase of mitigation, there may be a phase of the identification of risks.
• Preparedness: In the preparedness phase, disaster managers develop plans of action for when the disaster strikes. This includes (a) communication plans with easily understandable terminology and methods; (b) proper maintenance and training of emergency services; (c) development of emergency shelters and evacuation plans; (d) getting ready and maintaining disaster supplies and equipment; and (e) developing organizations of trained volunteers among civilian populations.
• Response: When a disaster occurs, actions under the response phase are taken. These include the mobilization of the necessary emergency services and also of people who respond immediately in the disaster area. This is likely to include emergency services, such as firefighters, police, and ambulance crews. A well-planned strategy as part of the preparedness phase enables efficient coordination of rescue.
• Recovery: The recovery phase aims to restore the affected area to its previous state. It differs from the response phase in its focus. Recovery efforts are primarily concerned with actions that involve rebuilding destroyed property, re-employment, and the repair of essential infrastructure.

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