DISASTERS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT

                          By Dhruv Mehta

Human beings invent new technologies and utilize all types of natural resources for their well being and comfort. But some events, called disasters, ruin whole civilizations. Disasters refer to calamities or events occurring suddenly which bring great loss and suffering. They cause havoc in the environment and ecosystem.

There are two types of disasters:

1. Natural disasters
2. Man-made disasters

There can also be major disasters and minor disasters.

1. NATURAL DISASTERS:

Natural disasters are geological or weather related phenomena. The natural disasters are of geological occurrence. Natural disasters occur mainly in most severe forms, destroying mainly lives, property, and the environment and ecosystem of a country or a particular area. Natural disasters can occur at any time, anywhere in the world, eg cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes), volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides, floods and drought.

2. MAN-MADE DISASTERS

The disasters because of human activity are included in man-made disasters. The man-made disasters are less intense than natural disasters. Man-made disasters can be well predicted, so precautions can be taken to reduce the impact. Examples of man-made disasters are: accidents, nuclear disasters, chemical disasters

HOW TO MAKE RECYCLED PAPER

Take old paper/ newspaper/ envelopes - no cardboard or shiny paper

Method

• Tear the paper in small strips
• Soak overnight in a big bowl of water
• Next day mash well
• Sieve for excess water to come out and then mash with a masher to make extra soft
• Once sieved under a newspaper put it in an old plate or a hard board between two newspapers like paper 1 over paper 2 like a board sandwich
• Let it dry well  in the sun and scoop it after its dried with something flat

This is a good  way to make recycled paper

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 Pollution: But our current generation is very careless. As soon as you step onto the street, you see empty bottles lying here and there, people spitting on the road and littering by throwing chewing gum, banana peels and candy wrappers out of their car windows. This is making our streets and places dirty and stinky.

 Even our festivals cause pollution. When idols are immersed in the water, they pollute the rivers and seas. And at Diwali, crackers are burst and a lot of smoke and carbon dioxide are released. This can cause holes in the ozone layer and let ultraviolet rays, which cause skin cancer, enter.

 Factories emit a lot of smoke too. Oil tankers can also harm marine life if there is a leak or oil spill. The marine food chain can also be destroyed.

 Alternatives: The least we can do is keep our streets clean and unpolluted. Use Compressed Natural Gas instead of petrol. Burst less noisy crackers and immerse the idols with respect in a separate tank. Stop using deodorants and use natural fresheners like rosewater and sandalwood, as deodorant contains Chlorofluorocarbons which cause holes in the ozone layer. Oil tankers can be made leak-proof, and the oil companies should be more careful and ensure that oil spills do not occur. Use ecofriendly things. NO PLASTIC. Use jute or cloth bags. Switch off lights and fans when not needed. USE ECOFRIENDLY THINGS.

 Oxygen:  We must also plant a sapling each because trees give us oxygen and we cannot live without that.

 Water: We cannot live without water. Each drop is precious. It is used for drinking, washing, bathing, cooking etc. All of us can try and conserve water in our own way – for example, we can turn off the tap while brushing our teeth, instead of just letting the water run.