Essays

The word 'Environment' is derived from a Greek word which means 'surroundings'. In simpler terms, we can say that environment is the atmosphere which surrounds an organism. It is in this atmosphere that an organism lives, thrives, nurtures and sustains itself. Thus, everything that we see around us - land, air. water, flora and the fauna - consists of our environment. The environment exerts its influence upon us and thus our living conditions are indirectly controlled and affected to an extent. Any change in the environment is thus bound to disturb the harmony of the environment with its organisms. It becomes necessary for human beings not to disrupt this balance by their activities. This inter-relationship between the organism and the environment is the Ecological Balance which should be maintained at all cost. Environment can be classified into the following categories - Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere and Biosphere. The land with its soil, rocks, mountains and valleys consists of the Lithosphere. The water bodies on the land - seas, oceans, Iakes, ponds, rivers etc—constitute the Hydrosphere. The air around us, enveloping us like a blanket is the Atmosphere and finally the plant and the animal kingdoms together make the Biosphere.

In order to live in harmony with our environment, one should first acquire a deep understanding of one's environment. The growing need to study man's activities and their effects on the environment can be seen with the development of a separate branch of science solely devoted to the branch of study known as Environmental Sciences. This branch of study is related to the study of changes brought about in the environment either due to natural reasons or due to man-created disbalances.

Every single microorganism and every single particle found in the environment plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance. With the increase of science, technology and means of communication there has been a continuous disruption in the quantity and quality of the constituent elements of our environment. This imbalance has given rise to new problems. Recurrent floods and famines, frequent earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, tsunamis etc are all the consequences of man's thoughtless activities. Since the last 50 years or so, Nature has been giving out its warning signals for man to understand and find remedies with all his wisdom and knowledge. The community of scientists have been trying to create awareness on a global scale about the hazards of man's heedless exploitation of his environment.

Problems like air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, green-house effect. global warming, ozone depletion, landslides, earthquakes, famines, conversion of fertile lands into deserts gradually are all due to the havoc created in the environment and the disturbance of Ecological Balance. This imbalance was created when man began to exploit and abuse the resources found in nature instead of using them. We need to give back to Nature something if we want to sustain ourselves. Due to increase in population, the limited available resources fell short in comparison to the demand for them. Thus it gave rise to the exploitation of the resources available in the environment. The rate of use was much higher than the rate with which Nature could replenish its resources. This difference in the rate of consumption of Natural Resources and their rate of being renewed causes disruption of the Ecological Balance.

In order to maintain the Ecological Balance, we must seek measures to control the growth rate of population and create awareness among people to upkeep the environment surrounding them. This can be done by firstly educating people about the hazards of over-population. There is also a need to make serious efforts in protecting the environment by encouraging people to plant trees, keep the rivers clean, prevent overgrazing by the cattle, Judicious use of fertilizers and pesticides, A kind of mass movement should be undertaken to save and protect environment. Our survival on the planet depends upon the maintenance of the environment that protects us. Thus, it becomes our utmost need and necessity to regain the lost balance in the nature and create harmony between its various constituent elements.