12 Pollution

The Big
Things to Idea
learn
1. Air Pollution
Our environment is
getting unclean due to
2. Water Pollution
uncontrolled human
3. Land Pollution
4. Noise Pollution activities and it is
harming us too.

Let’s Go

Observe the picture below and circle the activities that are harming the
surroundings.

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All living and non-living things around us form our environment. Many human
activities have spoilt the environment. Adding harmful substances to our
environment is called pollution, and these harmful substances that cause pollution
are called pollutants. There are four main kinds of pollution.

• Air pollution • Water pollution

• Land pollution • Noise pollution

AIR POLLUTION
The addition of chemicals and harmful substances into the atmosphere of the earth
is called air pollution. Smoke from factories and vehicles, such as cars, buses,
trucks and aeroplanes, add a lot of fumes into the air and pollute it. Burning of
leaves, garbage, paper and other things also gives out smoke that pollutes the air.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are compounds

of gases such as carbon, hydrogen, chlorine
and fluorine, which are used in refrigerators, air
conditioners and jet planes. These gases harm the
Di
d you know
?
ozone layer that helps in absorbing the harmful Rainforests are called
ultraviolet rays of the sun. Depletion of the ozone the, ‘lungs of the
layer causes harmful skin diseases in human beings. Earth’. We should
plant more trees to
Breathing polluted air over a long period of clean the air.
time can cause various respiratory diseases like
bronchitis, asthma, allergies and even lung cancer.

Activities causing air pollution

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 WATER POLLUTION
When waste water from
factories and household
sewage enters water bodies,
water gets polluted. Household
and industrial wastes are
sometimes thrown into rivers
without being treated properly.
This leads to poisonous
substances polluting water
bodies and killing the aquatic
animals and plants. If people Activities causing water pollution
come in contact with polluted
water, they may get skin diseases and cholera.

We should not bathe or wash clothes near water bodies. Soap and detergent also
have chemicals that pollute these water bodies. We should not throw garbage into
rivers and ponds and must help to keep them clean.

LAND POLLUTION

Have you ever seen garbage dumped here and there?

Plastic, metal and glass wastes cause soil pollution. Land also gets polluted when
trees are cut down and land is left barren for erosion.

Chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides used by farmers for

growing crops also pollute the land.

Improper disposal of garbage

also pollutes the land. Waste
materials like plastic and
metal break down into smaller
pieces, and mix with the soil.
This causes the soil to lose
its fertility. Waste that has not
been disposed of properly can
also poison the soil and the
plants growing there and kill
the plants.
Activities causing land pollution

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 TIME PLEASE
A. Identify the kind of pollution each of these leads to.
1. Vehicular fumes ___________________

2. Burning of leaves ___________________

3. Pesticides in soil ___________________

4. Sewage in rivers ___________________

5. Garbage dumps ___________________

B. Match the columns.

Column A Column B

Chlorofluorocarbon Land pollution

Smoke Water pollution

Fertilizers Soil erosion

Sewage Damages ozone layer

Barren land Air pollution

NOISE POLLUTION
When we use loudspeakers and play loud music, it causes noise pollution. Screeching
and honking of vehicles also cause noise pollution. Listening to very loud sounds
continuously over a long
period of time, can cause
hearing damage or even
deafness.

It is important that we
care for our environment.
Pollution leads to many
disasters and harms our
earth. We should keep
our Earth clean and
green.
Activities causing noise pollution

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 Words environment: all that exists around us
to know pollution: adding harmful substances into our environment
chlorofluorocarbon: a chemical that is used in refrigerators and damages
the ozone layer
aquatic: plants and animals living in water
weedicides: chemicals used by farmers to kill unwanted plants called weeds

Let's Recall
1. All living and non-living things around us form our environment.
2. There are mainly four kinds of pollution: air, water, land and noise pollution.
3. Smoke from factories and vehicles, burning of leaves, garbage, paper and other things
pollute the air.
4. Household and industrial wastes if thrown into the rivers, without being treated, add
poisonous substances to the water bodies, which kill aquatic animals and plants growing
in them.
5. Plastic, metal, fertilizers, and glass wastes cause soil pollution.
6. When we use loudspeakers and listen to loud music, it harms our ears.
7. Environmental pollution is leading to many disasters and damaging our Earth. We should
keep our Earth clean and green.

LET'S PRACTISE

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct words.

1. All that exists around us forms our _____________ (atmosphere/environment).

2. Harmful substances that are mixed in our environment are called ____________
(pollution/pollutants).

3. Weedicides and pesticides cause _________________ (land/noise) pollution.

4. Loudspeakers and screeching of vehicles cause _________________ (noise/air)

pollution.

5. We ________________ (should/should not) bathe with soap and water near

water bodies.

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B. Tick the correct option.
1. Which of these causes air pollution?
a. Smoke from factories b. Vehicular smoke
c. Burning of things d. All of these
2. Which of these actions pollute water bodies?
a. Garbage on land b. Untreated household and industrial wastes
c. Loudspeakers d. Planting trees and bushes
3. Which of these causes land pollution?
a. Garbage on land b. Loudspeakers
c. Trees d. All of these

C. Short answer questions

1. What is environment?
2. What are pollutants?
3. What are the different kinds of pollution?
4. How does breathing polluted air over a long time affect our health?
5. How should we take care of our environment?

D. Long answer questions

1. Describe how air and water get polluted.
2. Explain how land gets polluted. What can we do to protect soil?
3. What is noise pollution? How is it caused?

LET'S OBSERVE

Observe the picture and answer the

following questions.
1. Identify the type of pollution
shown in the picture.
2. Why is the old man feeling
disturbed?
3. What would you suggest to help
the old man take rest?

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 21st
LET'S APPLY C E N T U RY
SKILLS

Some types of waste mix with soil and disappear with time while some types of
waste remain in soil for a very long time. Take help of your teacher and elders and
make a list of things that mix into soil and things that do not mix into soil.
In groups of four students, make two bins and mark them as, waste that mixes
into soil, and waste that does not mix into soil. Now, keep them in your
classroom and different places in the school. On a rotational basis, make two
students in-charge of the two bins in the class, who will manage the class to
separate the waste responsibly.
Explore what can you do with the waste that does not mix into soil.

I CAN

I can do it on my own. I can do it with help.

explain the causes and

effects of air pollution.

explain the causes and

effects of water pollution.

explain the causes and

effects of land pollution.

explain the causes and

effects of noise pollution.

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 LIFE SKILLS

Observe the pictures and explain your thoughts as depicted in both of them.
Discuss and list out the suggestions that you would like to share with these
people.

FUN TASK!
Take some small plastic discs and smear one side with petroleum jelly. Now, place
these discs in your school garden, in your classroom and in the playground of your
school. Collect these discs at the end of the day and observe the changes in their
colour. Which of these discs will be dirtier?

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