Knowlwdge To Protect Us: The Natural Disasters

A natural disaster is very common nowadays and occurs very frequently in almost any place every now and then. Many people help at such times. Some examples are given below:

(a) Neighbours help each other.

(b) People from bigger cities come for help.

(c) Local leaders

(d) Political leaders

(e) Various non-government organizations

(f) Doctors and nurses of the nearby hospitals

(g) Some shopkeepers.

 

Some of them may have been from non-government organisations and some may be scientists, doctors and medical personnel. They brought food, clothes, medicines, etc which gives us relief. The scientists checks the real reasons for the disaster to identify areas which were more prone to damage. 

People from the areas of the natural disaster rebuilt their assets  with suggestions from, the engineers. The engineers gave suggestions to build houses so that there would be the least damage in case of any future disasters.

 In case of an earthquake or flood in our area, we may be in the danger. The walls can develop cracks and in the worst case, roofs can collapse. Household items like TV, fridge, etc. would also be damaged.

 

In the village areas clay, cow dung, mirror, etc. were used in making houses which is not strong enough compared with the houses made up of bricks, cement, iron, wood, etc.

Nowadays in the schools, they give proper training on what to do and not to do in case of sudden natural disasters. They train students to go to an open area. If someone is unable to go to an open area then he/she can hide under a table and hold it firmly.

 In case of the collapse of the house during an earthquake, the table can save a person from injury

 

It was seen in the past that people do not die because of the earthquake or floods but they die or get injured because of house collapses. So, if the buildings are made earthquake-proof or flood-proof then there will be the least damage in case of an earthquake or flood or any other natural disaster. In case people lost their house then they need the following help:

(a) Tent/canvas to prepare huts

(b) Clothes, food, water, milk and medicines.

 

In this type of scenario, people get help from the people who is their neighbour. People live together in a neighbourhood so that they can help each other during times of crisis. They also live together so that they can share their happiness with each other.

 

It will definitely be a scary situation in case of crisis if very less people live around you. We will have nobody to play with. Festivals and special days would be boring if we have to celebrate them all alone.

 

Following difficulties are faced by people during floods:

(а) Many people lose their near and dear ones.

(b) Many people get injured.

(c) There is a huge loss of property.

(d) Crops and houses get destroyed.

(e) A large number of cattle dies.

(f) There is an acute shortage of drinking water.

(g) Road and rail network is badly damaged.

(h) Waterborne epidemics spread in the affected area.

 

After the flood, children are forced to study in a makeshift school. People have to start from scratch to make their life normal. Cleaning the house and submerged goods is the first measure task after the flood water recedes. Many people may have to start an altogether new occupation to earn money.

People have to rebuild their houses. They have to arrange for safer drinking water. Government has to restore the rail and road network as quickly as possible.

 

On the Move Again

1) Did all the farmers in Dhanu’s village have their own land?

Ans: No, only big farmers had their own land in Dhanu’s village.

2) During what time of the year did Dhanu’s family get work in the village? During what time did they not have work?

Ans: Dhanu’s family managed to get work from May to October, i.e., for six months, which is the rainy season. For the next six months, after Dussehra, i.e. November to April, they did not have any work in the village.

3) If people in Dhanu’s village did not leave the village in the search of work, what difficulties would they face in their own village?

Ans: If people in Dhanu’s village did not leave in search of work then

a) they would have no money to buy food and other needs.

b) they would have no money to pay the debt to mukadam.

 

4) In Dhanu’s village, there can be no farming when there is no rain. Do you think farming can be done even without rainwater? How?

Ans: Yes, farming can be done without rainwater through irrigation. Irrigation is a process of watering the plants manually through wells, tube-wells, canals, harvested rainwater, etc

5) Dhanu’s family and many others from the village go far away for work but some people stay back in the village. Why does this happen?

Ans: While Dhanu’s family and many others went far from the village in search of work but the old people, ill people, and the kids could not work in the field. So they stayed behind.

6) When Dhanu and other children leave the village for six months, what happens in the village school?

Ans: Fewer numbers of students were there to attend school.

7) Why does Mami wish that Dhanu should go to school for the whole year and study?

Ans: Mami wanted Dhanu to become an educated and successful person in his life. That is why she wished that Dhanu should go to school for the whole year and study.

8) What happens when you are not able to go to school for a long time?

Ans: When we are not able to go to school for a long time, then most of the time we forget what we learned earlier. 

Who will save the poor: No Place For Us?

No Place For Us? 

People use to feel alone in a crowdy place if it is a new place or people around them are unknown. It is very difficult to leave one’s own place and go far away to live in a new place. Everything will be new in the new place. The people, the market, the roads; everything will look like stranger in the new place. Smaller cities have less opportunities. Poor people and people who want to earn more often migrate to big cities. Big cities have lot of opportunities like variety of works and more opportunities. 

 

 

The poor children do many types of work. Some examples are given below:

(a) Rag picking

(b) Cleaning the car

(c) As domestic help

(d) Selling sundry items near footpath

They need to work to support their family. Their parents do not earn enough and hence these children need to work.

 

We learn following from our elders like respecting elders, sticking to a routine by sleeping and waking up on time and by studying and playing as per the routine, maintaining love and affection with friends and relatives, helping in household chores.

Normally poor people use to learn fish catching, selling goods in the market, playing dhol specially for earning some money and to survive the cruel world.

A person living the village don't hear the sounds of horns of vehicles, sound of trains, sound of police siren. They use to live in peace. Normally we also experience silence during the time of sleeping. 

 It is not easy task for any person to leave their own place, the land and forest were associated with fond memories of many generations of people. Their forefathers had been living on that land since a long period. Sometimes these people were forced to leave the place by government officials and the police with a promise to sent them in a better place where they would have better facilities in terms of electricity and water.

 

Normally the movement of the people happened when there are some project by the government in or near by place where these poor and helpless people stays. One example is making of dam in a place for which people used to face many difficulties. Some of them are may be houses and farms get destroyed, people have to move from their own place to other new place, facilities may not that good, starting the life in a new set up have many challenges, they have to struggle very hard to develop the support system; which includes schools, markets, etc.

After the promises also many a time the govern body may fail to fulfill the promises in the expected manners like 

> the houses may be made of tin sheets and may be very weak, 

> there may be lack of electric supply, 

> people don't get proper fire wood because of lack of trees around, so use to burn old tyres as fuel which smells very bad,

> in the town there will not be enough space

So we must not disrespect any guests and give equal priorities to all. When guests come to our home for a few days, we must pay full attention and respect to them. We must take care that they have a comfortable stay. Normally our mother makes special food for them so that they can enjoy their stay and our father takes a day off to take them to some good places. We must behave to everyone who is new to our place and we must give them all the support to them so that they can build a better future together with us.  

 

They live in a slum area. Houses there normally are made of tin sheets and roofs are made of plastic sheets. There is always a big drain near the slum which makes the area unhygienic.

These are poor people having no place to live and if we remove the slum then these people who are very poor will find it difficult to find shelter. The government should do some arrangements before razing the slum. 

Please may question about the transferable jobs as same as moving the poor people from slum, but transfers are an integral part of many jobs. It is always difficult to leave a place and start life afresh in a new place. One has to do lot of packing and unpacking during transfers. One needs to leave close friends from a place and needs to make friends with new people. A child has to move to a new school in a new environment. This is difficult and challenging also. But still the people will have a constant income source to support their movement in a new place, not like poor who being pushed from their place. 

Some people say that - “The city people do not create garbage. Cities are dirty because of the slums”. It is totally incorrect to put all the blame on slum dwellers. City people also produce lot of garbage. Many people in middle class colonies throw garbage on the roads. In order to keep their homes, clean they throw all the waste on the roads. Slums also develop because of city people. Government constructs new dams, roads, factories, etc. to cater to the needs of city people. As a result displaced people from villages are forced to leave their place and move to cities. These poor people cannot afford good houses and hence they develop slums.

Many people migrate to big cities for different reasons to get many opportunities but there are many more challenges:

a) One has to compromise with limited space in big cities.

b) Poor people are forced to live in unhygienic conditions.

c) They may be earning more than what they earned in villages but they are unable to save money because of the higher cost of living in big cities.

d) They also face the problem of with the local language of the new place.

e) They are unable to afford medical facilities and quality education.