Q1.
Identify other human activities that lead to water pollution. Discuss with your friends in the class what you can do to reduce water pollution.
Answer
The book mentions two: throwing trash into water bodies and dumping waste from homes and industries into them. Here are the others.
| Human activity | How it pollutes water |
|---|---|
| Letting untreated sewage and drain water flow into rivers | Adds filth and germs; the water starts to smell and fish die |
| Factory waste — dyes, acids, oil, chemicals | Adds harmful substances that do not go away by themselves |
| Excess fertilisers and pesticides in fields | Rain washes them into ponds and rivers |
| Washing clothes, cattle and vehicles in ponds and rivers | Soap, detergent and grease mix into the water |
| Throwing plastic bags, wrappers, idols and puja offerings into rivers | Plastic floats for years and blocks the flow |
| Open defecation near a water source | Germs enter the water and cause diseases |
| Oil leaks from boats and ships | A thin oil film spreads and kills water plants and fish |
What we can do (discuss and choose in class):
- Never throw wrappers, bottles or leftover food into a pond, canal or river — carry them to a dustbin.
- Use less detergent, and wash clothes at home rather than at the river bank.
- Immerse idols and puja flowers in a separate tank, not in the river.
- Keep the school and colony drains clean and unblocked.
- Make posters and a street play for cleanliness week; join a river or lake clean-up drive.
Why it matters so much: polluted water is not fit for consumption by any living being — not for us, not for cattle, not for the fish that live in it. And freshwater sources are already limited.