Page 175 - Real English 2024 Book 8

FOREST FIRES

FIRE ENGULFS BUSH FOREST

New Delhi: About three acres of bush forest was damaged in a fire that broke out in the
ridge area of New Delhi on Saturday. The fire, which began around 10 a.m., raged for
over two hours. The fire damaged the green cover and destroyed the bushes and shrubs
in the area.

There have been several incidents of forest fire in the last few months alone and high
vigil is required. According to the local people, smoking in the forest area and throwing
cigarette stubs or lit matchsticks on dry grass or bush are said to be the primary reasons
for such fires. The ridge forest, known to be the lungs of the city, is critical for the
sustenance of life in the capital city.

Now enact a TV discussion with 4 panellists, role-played by students. Each panellist should
contribute to the discussion by talking about relevant topics related to the theme. For example,
Panellist 1 : ‘In recent times this is the fifth incident of bush fire in this region. Don’t we need
to ...’

Panellist 2 : ‘This is a global problem linked to climate change ...’

E2 Write a notice according to the directions.
St Xavier’s School is organizing a Tree Plantation Week in the first week of July. The students
of the middle school will be part of this project. Every student will be given saplings, which he/
she will plant alongside the school compound wall and take care of till they grow up to a certain
height.

E3 Research activity
Do research on ‘human impact on the environment’. Read the newspaper, magazines and other
sources of information and identify news items that deal with the environment and the damage
caused to it by human intervention. Also collect information from the Internet and write an
article about all that you have learnt.

E4 A forest conservation campaign
Imagine you are Ranjit Singh, a forest officer. You are worried about forest fires in your region
due to the irresponsible habits of local people and tourists, who often throw lighted matchsticks
around. You wish to organize a meeting with the residents of the area and encourage public
participation in the Forest Conservation Campaign. The objective is to form a committee to
educate local people and tourists about forest conservation.

Create a project plan listing the goals, members and their responsibilities, planned activities,
schedules and costs.

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