Class 9 MAHARASHTRA STATE TEXTBOOK BUREAU Solutions Science Chapter 9 - Environmental Management

1. Of the abiotic factors that affect biodiversity by far the most important is climate.(Climate influences our basic needs like food, clothing and shelter as well as our occupations. Various climatic factors like temperature, atmospheric pressure, sunlight, rainfall and humidity decide the kind of plants and animals which can survive in a particular region).
2. A description of the climatic conditions of short duration in a particular area is weather.(Atmospheric conditions at a specific time at a particular place are referred to as weather. Weather is related to a specific location and specific time whereas climate is the average of weather over time and space).
3. Irrespective of the progress of human beings, we have to think about geographic favourability.(Geographical favourability includes location, availability of water and natural resources and climate of a region. This has a great impact on the progress of human beings. Countries that have more favourable factors will progress more).
4. Establishments where various climatic factors are recorded are called an observatory.(Most countries in the world have established meteorological departments for recording climatic factors. These departments have observatories which are equipped with modern instruments and technology).

First aid is provided to the injured victims of disasters in the following manner:

1. Bleeding: If the victim is injured and bleeding through the wound, the wound should be covered with an antiseptic pad and pressure should be applied on it for 5 minutes with either the thumb or palm.
2. Fracture and impact on vertebrae: If any bone is fractured, it is essential that the fractured part be immobilized. It can be done with the help of any available wooden rods / batons / rulers. If there is an impact on the back or vertebral column; the patient should be kept immobile on a firm stretcher.
3. Burns: If victims have burn injuries, it is beneficial to hold the injured part under clean and cold flowing water for at least 10 minutes.

Scientific and eco-friendly methods of waste management are as follows:

• Waste separation: In this method, dry and wet wastes are separated, stored and later collected for proper use.
• Composting: Decomposition of degradable kitchen waste in small pits in the backyard, garden or terrace is called composting. Good quality manure can be obtained by composting leftover food, peels of fruits, vegetables, etc.
• Vermicomposting: Converting solid waste into manure or compost with the help of earthworms is called vermicomposting. Vermicompost is highly nutritious and can be used for agricultural purposes and growing garden plants.
• Secured landfill: Solid waste is disposed off in secured landfills. The site for secured landfill is selected minimum 2 km away from water bodies and human habitation. Care is taken to ensure that the site does not fall in sensitive zone. The landfills are layered with clay and plastic and the garbage is then spread and left to decompose naturally.
• Pyrolysis: In this method, the waste is heated to a high temperature to obtain gas and electricity. Semi-combustible waste is burnt in pyrolysis. It is suitable for municipal solid waste management.
• Incineration: Biomedical waste is burnt in incinerators to kill the pathogens. Disinfection and sterilisation is also done while treating the biomedical waste.

Relationship between weather forecasting and disaster management:

• Weather forecasts are made depending on various factors such as storms, clouds and rainfall. It is useful in aviation, shipping, fishing, industries as well as during natural calamities like dust storms, sand storms, heavy rainfall, and tsunamis where proper predictions are made with well-equipped satellites and high-class technology.
• Observatories at several locations are doing excellent work in the analysis of the information received from the satellites.
• This data can be used in prevention of losses and danger, improving tolerance, providing relief from disaster, minimising the intensity and the extent of harm as well as preparation to face the disaster.

• e-waste is electronic waste which includes non-functional TV sets, cell phones, music systems, computers and their parts.
• e-waste contains heavy metals like lead, beryllium, mercury and cadmium.
• These metals accumulate in the soil for long periods and thus affect the biodiversity of the soil.
• Often, e-wastes like batteries contain acids which make the soil acidic.
• e-waste can cause groundwater pollution, which also affects the living organisms when they drink this polluted water.
• Thus, e-waste affects human health and soil microorganisms directly or indirectly.

We can register our individual participation in solid waste management in the following ways:

• Follow the 3R mantra: Reduce (reducing waste), Reuse (reusing waste) and Recycle (recycling waste).
• Avoid littering and throw plastic wrappers of chocolates, ice-creams and biscuits into dustbins.
• Avoid the use of plastic bags and instead use cloth bags or bags prepared from old sarees, bed-sheets and curtains.
• Use both sides of a paper for writing.
• Reuse greeting cards and gift papers.
• Avoid the use of tissue paper and prefer to use one's own handkerchief.
• Use rechargeable batteries instead of lead batteries.
• Implement various programmes of solid waste management. Educate and encourage the family and society in this regard.
• Avoid 'use and throw' type of articles like pens, canned cold drinks and tetra-packs.

Meteorology

• The branch of science that deals with the study of the earth's atmosphere and majorly focusses on the weather processes and forecasting is known as meteorology.
• Weather forecasting is made depending on various variables like temperature, air pressure and winds as they vary with time.
• Storms, lightning, rainfall, etc. are also studied under meteorology.
• Predictions made by the meteorological department are important for citizens, aviation services, farmers, and various other organisations.
• There are various models which are used for weather prediction.
• Mathematical Model: In this model, supercomputers are used to analyse complex data collected from observations and to find the optimal solution.
• Holistic Model: In this model, the output from other models is also taken into consideration, and then collectively final prediction is made.

Climatic factors

• Climate is defined as the average conditions that are expected at a certain place over a number of years.
• Climate remains constant for a region and does not change continuously.
• It influences our lives in terms of our basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter.
• The climate of a place depends on the mean value of various factors like temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed, etc. These are called climatic factors.
• These climatic factors are important for the development of infrastructures like high scrapers, bridges and airports runways.

Monsoon model

• A model predicting monsoon was developed for the first time in 1877 by H. F. Blanford, the then founder of The India Meteorological Department (IMD).
• This was the first prediction of its kind and the parameter which was chosen for this prediction was snowfall in the Himalayas.
• In the 1930s, the then director of IMD, Sir Gilbert Walker established a relationship between the Indian monsoon and various worldwide climatic factors.
• It was Dr. Vasantrao Govarikar who finally developed the monsoon model based on 16 worldwide climatic parameters and this model was in use from 1990 to 2002.

Industrial waste

• Industrial waste includes wastes such as pieces of metals, plastic and chemicals produced from industries during the manufacturing processes.
• Industrial wastes are also a major source of environmental pollution. They lead to air and water pollution.
• The fumes which are generated from industries are highly poisonous and directly affect the respiratory systems of animals, humans, and birds.
• The industrial waste materials are rich in toxic substances and heavy metals such as mercury, lead, copper, and cadmium.
• Mercury is a toxic substance, which exhibits the phenomenon of biomagnification when it enters the ecosystem through the food chain.
• Since these chemicals cannot be decomposed, they keep on accumulating at each trophic level. The maximum concentration is found at the top carnivore level.
• This increase in the concentration of pollutants or harmful chemicals with an increase in the trophic level is called biological magnification or biomagnification.

Plastic waste

• We use plastic on a daily basis. It has become an inseparable part of our lives.
• Despite its various uses, one of the major disadvantages of plastic is that it is an environmental pollutant.
• Plastic is considered non-biodegradable because it is made of very long polymer chains, which take a very long time to degrade.
• Moreover, none of the saprophytes contain enzymes to digest plastic and obtain nutrients.
• Since plastic is non-biodegradable, its proper disposal is also important or it may lead to problems like choking of the sewage system, resulting in an overflow of drains and death of animals due to consumption of plastic bags.
• Plastic waste not only adds to environmental pollution but also degrades the aesthetic beauty of the land.

Principles of first aid (Life and Resuscitation - ABC)

1. Airway: If the victim has difficulty breathing, the head should be held in a backward sloping position or the chin should be raised so that the respiratory passage remains open.
2. Breathing: If breathing has stopped, the victim should be given artificial ventilation by mouth to mouth resuscitation.
3. Circulation: If the victim is unconscious, then after giving mouth to mouth respiration twice, the heart should be pressed down hard by pressing the chest with both the palms. These two actions should be repeated alternately about 15 times. This is called cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). It helps to bring the circulation back to normal.

• Daily weather along with long term climatic conditions influence human lifestyle directly or indirectly.
• Land, water bodies, plants and animals collectively form the natural environment on the Earth. This environment is responsible for the development of organisms.
• The climate of a particular region helps to determine the diet, clothing, housing, occupations and lifestyle of the people in that region. For example, people in the coastal areas have fishing as their major occupation.
• Salinity of marine water, formation of oceanic currents and water cycle are all related to various weather and climatic factors.
• Various climatic factors bring about the weathering of rocks in the Earth's crust.
• Climate plays a very important role in the formation and enrichment of soil.
• Microbes in the soil play an important role in the formation of organic materials. This process depends on various climatic factors.

Care to be taken for the transportation of patients:

1. Cradle method: This method is to be used for children and persons with less weight.
2. Carrying piggy back: This method is to be used for carrying unconscious persons.
3. Human crutch method: If one leg of a person is injured, then the victim must be supported with minimum load on the other leg. This is called human crutch method.
4. Pulling or lifting method: This method is to be used for carrying an unconscious person for a short distance.
5. Carrying on four-hand chair: This method is to be used when support is needed for a part below the waist region.
6. Carrying on two-hand chair: Patients who cannot use their hands but can hold their body upright, must be carried by this method.
7. Stretcher: The unconscious patient can be moved by making a temporary stretcher in case of an emergency when the conventional stretcher in unavailable. Such temporary stretchers are made using bamboos or blankets.

Differences between weather and climate:

Differences between degradable and non-degradable waste: