Basic 7 · Social Studies · Environmental Issues
The Environment and Sanitation Challenges
In this topic you will explain the meaning of the environment and sanitation, identify the environmental problems in your community and describe the main types of sanitation challenges.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Explain the meaning of the environment and sanitation
- Identify environmental problems in the community
- Describe the types of sanitation challenges in Ghana
What you already know
- Keeping the environment clean (Upper Primary)
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- Environment
- Sub-strand
- Environmental Issues
- Indicator
- B7.1.1.1.1 – Examine ways of dealing with sanitation challenges in the environment
Introduction
Our environment is our home. It includes the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we farm and the buildings we live in. When the environment is damaged, our health and livelihoods suffer.
1. What Is the Environment?
Environment: Everything around us, including living things (plants, animals, people) and non-living things (air, water, land, buildings), and the way they affect one another.
The environment can be divided into the natural (physical) environment, such as rivers, forests, hills and the climate, and the human-made (social) environment, such as houses, roads, markets, schools and the way people live together.
2. Environmental Problems in Ghana
| Problem | Example |
|---|---|
| poor sanitation | heaps of refuse, choked drains, open defecation |
| pollution | smoke from burning refuse, noise from loudspeakers, polluted rivers |
| deforestation | cutting trees for timber, charcoal and farms |
| land degradation | soil erosion and abandoned galamsey pits |
| flooding | floods in Accra and Kumasi after heavy rains |
| bush fires | burning of grassland in the dry season |
| desertification | spread of desert-like conditions in parts of the north |
3. Identifying Problems in Your Community
To identify environmental problems, observe your surroundings carefully. Look for litter, smells, stagnant water, burnt land, cut trees, eroded paths, noise and smoke. Talk to elders and assembly members about how the area has changed. Record what you find in a notebook with the place, the problem and its likely cause.
4. Why Environmental Problems Matter
Environmental problems affect health, income and safety. Polluted water causes diseases; deforestation reduces rainfall and destroys the homes of animals; floods destroy property and lives; and a dirty environment discourages tourists and investors. Protecting the environment is therefore everyone's business.
5. The Environment and Our Responsibility
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana, Article 41(k), states that it is the duty of every citizen to protect and safeguard the environment. This means that keeping our surroundings clean is not only good manners; it is a civic responsibility.
6. The Environment and Our Culture
Traditional Ghanaian societies had ways of protecting the environment. Sacred groves could not be farmed or hunted in, certain rivers could not be fished on sacred days, and some animals were protected as clan totems. These customs helped to conserve forests, water and wildlife. Today, combining such traditional practices with modern laws and education can help solve environmental problems.
New words
- environment
- Everything around us, living and non-living.
- pollution
- Making air, water or land dirty and harmful.
- deforestation
- The clearing of forests.
- desertification
- Land becoming desert-like.
Summary
- The environment includes natural and human-made surroundings.
- Ghana faces problems such as poor sanitation, pollution, deforestation, flooding and bush fires.
- Protecting the environment is a duty of every citizen under the 1992 Constitution.
Class activity: Environmental Walk
- Walk around the school and its surroundings with the teacher.
- Record every environmental problem you observe.
- Present your findings with the likely causes.
You need: Used sachet-water bag, Labelled waste bins, Printed photographs of a local Ghanaian drain, Refuse site
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which is part of the natural environment?
- A. rivers
- B. markets
- C. schools
- D. roads
Show answer
Answer: riversNot made by people.2. Article 41(k) of the 1992 Constitution is about…
- A. protecting the environment
- B. voting
- C. paying school fees
- D. driving
Show answer
Answer: protecting the environmentCivic duty.3. Deforestation can reduce rainfall.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueFewer trees, less transpiration.4. Making air, water or land dirty and harmful is called ______.
Show answer
Answer: pollutionContamination.5. Name four environmental problems in Ghana.
Show answer
Answer: Poor sanitation, pollution, deforestation, flooding (or bush fires, desertification).Any four.6. Explain how environmental problems affect a community's income.
Show answer
Answer: Polluted rivers kill fish, eroded land reduces crops and dirty towns discourage tourists, reducing earnings.Economic effects.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- Environment
- Sub-strand
- Environmental Issues
- Indicator
- B7.1.1.1.1 – Examine ways of dealing with sanitation challenges in the environment
Introduction
Sanitation is about keeping our homes and communities clean and disposing of waste safely. In many Ghanaian towns, sanitation is one of the biggest challenges.
1. What Is Sanitation?
Sanitation: The safe management and disposal of human waste (faeces and urine), refuse and waste water to keep the environment clean and healthy.
2. Types of Sanitation Challenges
| Challenge | Description |
|---|---|
| solid waste | refuse such as plastics, food waste and paper dumped anyhow |
| liquid waste | dirty water from homes, markets and factories poured into drains and streets |
| open defecation | passing faeces in bushes, beaches or open spaces |
| choked drains | gutters blocked with rubbish, causing stagnant water and floods |
| lack of toilets | many homes and public places without toilets |
| poor food hygiene | food sold in dirty places near refuse |
| e-waste and chemical waste | burning of electronic waste and dumping of chemicals |
3. Sanitation in Towns and Villages
In towns, the main challenges are large amounts of plastic waste, overcrowded houses without toilets, choked drains and slums. In villages, challenges include open defecation, refuse dumped at the edge of the village and contaminated water sources. Both need solutions suited to their situation.
4. The Plastic Waste Problem
Sachet-water bags, bottles and polythene bags make up a large part of the refuse in Ghana. Plastics do not rot; they block gutters, kill animals that eat them and break into tiny pieces that pollute soil and water. Burning them releases harmful smoke. Reducing, reusing and recycling plastics is therefore very important.
5. Measuring Sanitation Challenges
Learners can carry out a simple survey by counting rubbish heaps, choked drains or homes without toilets in a small area. They can also interview residents. Such surveys help the community and the District Assembly know where action is most needed.
6. Sanitation and Gender
Poor sanitation affects women and girls in special ways. They often carry water and clean homes, so they are exposed to dirty water and waste. Without private toilets, girls may miss school during menstruation, and women may face danger when going to the bush at night. Providing clean, safe toilets in homes and schools helps protect their health, dignity and education.
New words
- sanitation
- Safe disposal of waste to keep the environment clean.
- solid waste
- Rubbish such as plastics, paper and food waste.
- liquid waste
- Dirty water from homes and industries.
- open defecation
- Passing faeces in the open.
Summary
- Sanitation is the safe management of human waste, refuse and waste water.
- Challenges include solid and liquid waste, open defecation, choked drains and lack of toilets.
- Plastic waste is a major problem because it does not rot.
Class activity: Sanitation Survey
- Examine a used sachet-water bag and labelled waste bins.
- Survey a small area near the school for sanitation challenges.
- Record and present your findings in a table.
You need: Used sachet-water bag, Labelled waste bins, Printed photographs of a local Ghanaian drain, Refuse site
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Passing faeces in the open is called…
- A. open defecation
- B. recycling
- C. composting
- D. sanitation
Show answer
Answer: open defecationUnsafe practice.2. Plastics are a problem because they…
- A. do not rot
- B. dissolve in water
- C. are good for soil
- D. disappear quickly
Show answer
Answer: do not rotNon-biodegradable.3. Choked drains can cause flooding.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueWater cannot flow.4. Dirty water from homes and factories is ______ waste.
Show answer
Answer: liquidWaste water.5. State four types of sanitation challenges.
Show answer
Answer: Solid waste, liquid waste, open defecation, choked drains (or lack of toilets).Any four.6. Compare sanitation challenges in towns and villages.
Show answer
Answer: Towns face plastic waste, crowded houses and choked drains; villages face open defecation and polluted water sources.Comparison.
Homework
- List the sanitation challenges in your neighbourhood and rank them from the most to the least serious.