NCERT Solutions for Class 4th The World Around Us Chapter 9 In the Mountains, with Nayan — Discuss

There are two separate reasons — one for the wood and one for the slanting roof.

• Wood is used because many trees — oak, pine, walnut and chestnut — grow right there, so wood is easy to get and easy to carry up a hill. Wood also keeps the inside of the house warm.
• Slanting roofs are used because rain water and snow slide straight down off them. Nothing collects on top.

Look at your own house and compare it with the picture in the book.

1. Is the roof flat or sloping?
2. What is it made of — wood, brick, cement, tin sheets, tiles or thatch?
3. Are the windows big or small? Is there a verandah?

Sample answer: Yes, one feature is the same. My house has a sloping tin roof, just like the mountain houses, because it rains heavily in my town and the water must run off quickly. But my walls are of brick, not wood, and my windows are much bigger because our weather is warm.

A landslide happens when soil and rocks slide down a slope. In the rainy season this happens often in the mountains.

• Mountain slopes are steep, so soil and rocks are always ready to slip downwards.
• Heavy rain makes the soil soft, loose and heavy, and it can no longer hold on.
• Water flows between the rocks and pushes them apart.
• Where trees have been cut, there are no roots to hold the soil, so it slips easily.
• Cutting the hillside for roads and buildings also weakens the slope.

Some things are done before the rains and some during them.

Before the rains:

• Plant trees and grass on bare slopes so the roots hold the soil.
• Build strong stone walls along the hill road.
• Make drains so rain water runs away instead of soaking into the slope.
• Do not build houses at the foot of a loose, steep slope.

During heavy rain:

• Listen to warnings on the radio, television or phone.
• Do not travel on hill roads when it is raining hard.
• Move away from steep slopes and stay in a safe building.
• Keep a torch, dry food, water and helpline numbers ready.

A community can help at once, and can keep helping for a long time afterwards.

Right away:

• Open the school or community hall as a shelter.
• Give clean drinking water, cooked food, clothes and blankets.
• Take the injured to a hospital and call the helpline.
• Help clear the blocked road and look for people who are missing.

In the weeks after:

• Collect money, books and school bags so children can go back to school.
• Help rebuild houses together, as people do in a shramdaan.
• Give back the tools of work — nets and boats to fishermen, seeds to farmers.
• Sit with people, listen to them and keep them company, because they are frightened and sad.