NCERT Solutions Exploring Society: India and Beyond Chapter 3 d) Forest fires — LET'S EXPLORE

Book page 62 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.

Observe Fig. 3.15. Describe the effects they may have on people, plants, animals and economic life.

Answer

Fig. 3.15 shows four disasters in four photographs — a cyclone (great trees uprooted and lying across a city road), a landslide (a hillside collapsed on to a highway, with earth-movers clearing it), a forest fire (a line of flame running along a wooded slope right behind houses) and a flood (a house standing in water up to its roof, with only tree-tops showing).

	Cyclone	Landslide	Forest fire	Flood
People	Loss of life; houses unroofed; power and phone lines down for days	People buried or cut off; villages isolated when the only road is blocked	Local communities displaced; smoke spoils air quality and causes breathing illness	Homes and belongings lost; families in relief camps; contaminated water and disease
Plants	Trees uprooted, standing crops flattened by wind	Forest and terraced fields swept away with the soil	Large areas of forest destroyed; seeds and undergrowth burnt	Crops rot under water; soil is either eroded or buried in sand
Animals	Cattle killed; nests and habitats destroyed	Habitats buried; streams blocked and fish killed	Wildlife killed or driven out; the ecosystem is degraded	Livestock drowned; ground-nesting animals lose their homes
Economic life	Fishing stops; ports, roads and electricity damaged; soil erosion	Roads, bridges and tourism cut off; repair costs are heavy	Timber, honey, fodder and tourism lost; the consequences are both environmental and economic	Harvest lost; markets and factories shut; food prices rise

Notice the pattern in the bottom row: each disaster hits the same three things — people's lives, agriculture and infrastructure — which is exactly what the chapter says on page 58 in its opening line on disasters.

Q2.

In groups of four or five, identify in each of the above disasters the part of natural causes and the part of human causes. Compare your conclusions.

Answer

Sample answer — the division your group should arrive at:

Disaster	Natural causes	Human causes
Cyclone	A low-pressure system over a warm sea; high wind speeds	Global warming warming the seas; building on exposed coasts; destruction of mangroves that once absorbed the surge
Flood	Heavy monsoon rain; rivers and lakes overflowing; glacial lakes bursting	Overburdened drainage; construction encroaching on waterways; concrete and asphalt that stop absorption; deforestation upstream; glaciers melting faster because of climate change
Landslide	Heavy rain, earthquakes, volcanic activity; naturally steep slopes	Cutting down of forests; building infrastructure without following approved methods; too many buildings blocking the natural flow of water
Forest fire	Dry climatic conditions, droughts, high winds; lightning	Human carelessness — an unattended cooking fire, a burning cigarette, stubble burning that spreads

The conclusion the comparison should lead to: the trigger is usually natural; the scale of the damage is usually human. Rain does not decide how many houses stand in the flood path, and lightning does not decide how dry and unguarded the forest was. This is why the chapter says the chances of landslides ‘have increased due to human activities’ — the mountain has not changed; what we have built on it has.

Tip: when your group compares conclusions, look for the causes that appear in more than one column. Deforestation and climate change turn up in almost every row — that tells you where prevention should start.

Q3.

Discuss in the same groups series of preventive measures that could help avoid the above disasters.

Answer

Sample answer — sort your measures into three levels, because different people must act at each.

Disaster	What government can do	What the community can do	What you can do
Cyclone	Fund IMD tracking and early-warning systems; build cyclone shelters; keep NDRF battalions ready; protect mangrove belts	Practise evacuation drills; agree on a shelter and a route; store water, dry food and torches	Learn the warning signals; help elderly neighbours move; never go to the shore to watch a storm
Flood	Desilt and widen drains; ban construction on waterways; build embankments; monitor glacial lakes	Keep drains and canals clear of plastic; restore village ponds and tanks; harvest rainwater	Never throw plastic into a drain; keep important papers in a waterproof bag before the monsoon
Landslide	Enforce approved construction methods; regulate hill roads and tunnelling; plant deep-rooted trees on slopes; build retaining walls and proper drainage	Refuse illegal construction; report new cracks in slopes or houses; keep the natural water channels open	Do not dislodge stones on slopes; watch for tilting trees and muddy spring water — early warnings of a slip
Forest fire	Cut fire lines before the dry season; staff watch-towers; use satellite fire alerts; train and equip forest staff	Village fire-watch groups; avoid burning stubble in windy, dry weather	Put out every picnic fire completely; never leave glass or a cigarette in a forest; report smoke at once

And one measure that helps against all four: the chapter's own answer — mitigation and adaptation. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions, planting trees, using renewable energy and living sustainably reduce the extremes; building resilience in communities reduces the harm when the extremes still come.

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