Question

Talk to your grandparents about life fifty years ago. Talk to them as to how the plants,
animals and water bodies were cared for or not cared. Seek the views of the elders and fill in
the table.
Plants
Animals
Waterbodies
Air pollution
S.No Information to
be collected
Status 50
years ago
Present
status
Changes
happened
Possible
causes
How to protect
to recover the
environm

Answer 1

"The information collected and views discussed are:

1. Entity: Plants

Status 50 years ago:

• Only organic farming.
• Growing indigene crops like millets.
• Large scale agriculture.

Present condition:

• Increased use of chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides.
• Unsustainable and reduced agriculture.

Ways to protect the environment:

Reduce chemicals and follow natural organic farming.

Sustainable agriculture.

Increase agricultural product.

Reduce agricultural waste and recycle naturally.

2. Entity: Animals

• Status 50 years ago:
• Animals' habitats were not disturbed.
• Not much of hunting or killing.
• They were protected.
• Animals were also reared in the farms and houses and treated like house members.

Present condition:

• Animals are largely disturbed by the encroachment of their habitats.
• A lot of hunting takes place for taking their horn, skin, etc., to make money.
• Animal rearing is slowly reduced.

Ways to protect the environment:

• Animals and their habitats should be protected.
• Prevent deforestation.
• Increase animal rearing.

3. Entity: Waterbodies

Status 50 years ago:

• The water bodies were maintained well.
• Cleaned regularly.

Present condition:

• Water bodies have disappeared in the name of encroachments.
• No proper de-silting or cleaning of water bodies.
• Mixing of sewage, industrial effluents.

Ways to protect the environment:

• Protect and preserve water bodies legally.
• Regular de-silting and cleaning and maintenance of the water bodies.
• Strict action for polluting the water bodies.

4. Entity: Air pollution

Status 50 years ago:

• Air in those days was more pure with less pollution.
• Not much of vehicles as of now.
• Increased lung space with lot of trees and greenery that kept the air fresh.

Present condition:

• Too much air pollution due to industrial pollution.
• Increased vehicles and pollution through the burning of fuel.
• Cutting down trees for infrastructure development.

Ways to protect the environment:

• Reduce fossil fuel burning.
• Shift to renewable energy.
• Reduce vehicles, share, and pool vehicles.
• Increase lung spaces through trees and greenery."