Houses, their uses and types
On a rainy night you sit dry in your house while the wind howls outside. The house keeps out rain, cold and danger. That is why we build houses.
A house is a shelter (निवारा) that protects us and gives rest. Houses differ with the climate (हवामान) of the region.
Rule 1: Uses of a house — A house is a shelter and a resting place. It protects against sun, wind, cold and rain, against wild animals, and from anti-social people.
In the figure : In the figure a house gives shelter, rest and protection.
- Easy : Easy: A house protects from rain.
- Medium : Medium: A locked door protects us from thieves.
- Exam-type : Exam: Name three uses of a house.
Rule 2: Types of houses — People build houses to suit the climate, using natural resources found nearby. So houses differ in construction, shape and material. Regions of heavy, medium and low rain, deserts, marshy areas, mountains and plains each have common types. A flat-roofed house is common in the plains.
In the figure : In the figure people build houses to suit the climate and use materials found nearby.
- Easy : Easy: A sloping roof sheds heavy rain.
- Medium : Medium: A desert house is built thick to keep out heat.
- Exam-type : Exam: Why are houses in heavy-rain regions sloping-roofed?
Houses: shelter, rest, protection; built to suit climate.
Thinking all houses are alike. Climate and materials make them different.
Memory clue: "जसे हवामान, तसे घर".
Spot the difference
| Region | House feature |
|---|---|
| Heavy rain | Sloping roof |
| Desert | Thick walls |
| Plains | Flat roof |
Practice questions
- 1What is a house?
- 2Name two uses of a house.
- 3From which weather does a house protect us?
- 4What decides the type of a house?
- 5Which roof is common in plains?
- 6Why do people use materials found nearby?
- 7Which house type suits a hilly area with snow: sloping or flat roof?
- 8Why does a house in a marshy area stand on poles?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A shelter that protects us and gives rest.
- 2Shelter and protection.
- 3Sun, wind, cold and rain.
- 4Climate and available materials.
- 5Flat roof.
- 6It is easy to get and cheap.
- 7Sloping, so snow slides down.
- 8To stay above water and mud.
Building materials and construction sites
Look at a house being built nearby: bricks, sand, cement and iron rods are piled up. Where did each of these come from?
All building materials (बांधकाम साहित्य) are taken from nature.
Rule 1: Materials from nature — Bricks, cement, iron, wood, water, rubble, glass, sand, floor tiles, roof tiles and tin sheets are used. Bricks come from soil, cement from limestone and glass from sand.
In the figure : In the figure all building materials are taken from nature.
- Easy : Easy: Bricks come from soil.
- Medium : Medium: Glass comes from sand.
- Exam-type : Exam: Cement is made from limestone.
Rule 2: Pollution at a construction site — Construction causes constant loud noise (noise pollution, ध्वनिप्रदूषण) and a lot of dust in the air (air pollution, वायुप्रदूषण). Ajit's family faces this because a building is going up opposite their house.
- Easy : Easy: Drilling machines cause noise.
- Medium : Medium: Cement dust spoils the air.
- Exam-type : Exam: Name two kinds of pollution from construction.
Materials from nature: bricks-soil, cement-limestone, glass-sand. Construction = noise + dust.
Thinking materials are made from nothing. They all come from nature.
Memory clue: "वीट-माती, सिमेंट-चुनखडी, काच-वाळू".
Spot the difference
| Material | Source |
|---|---|
| Brick | Soil |
| Cement | Limestone |
| Glass | Sand |
Practice questions
- 1Where do bricks come from?
- 2Cement is made from what?
- 3Glass is made from what?
- 4Name two building materials.
- 5What is noise pollution?
- 6What causes dust in construction?
- 7A wall needs 500 bricks per metre. How many bricks for 4 m?
- 8How can a builder reduce dust at a site?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Soil.
- 2Limestone.
- 3Sand.
- 4Bricks and iron.
- 5Too much loud noise.
- 6Cement, sand and digging.
- 7500 × 4 = 2000.
- 8Sprinkle water and cover the materials.
Homelessness
At a railway station late at night, you may see a family sleeping on a bench. They have no home. Having a roof is not easy for everyone.
Water, food, clothing and shelter are basic needs (मूलभूत गरजा) of every human being. People without a house are homeless (बेघर).
Rule 1: Homelessness — Many people live on roadsides, footpaths, under bridges, in tumbledown buildings, in stations and on open grounds because they have little or no means of livelihood. People become homeless because of poverty, costly housing, low income, unemployment, natural disasters and physical or mental disorders.
In the figure : In the figure many people still do not get all four basic needs.
- Easy : Easy: Shelter is a basic need.
- Medium : Medium: A flood can make people homeless.
- Exam-type : Exam: Name three causes of homelessness.
Rule 2: Rights, help and a home — We all have a right to clean drinking water, enough food, a safe shelter and education. Being homeless is a social problem; the government runs schemes for homes and in some cities provides night shelters (रात्रनिवारे). It is the people living in it and their love for one another that turn a house into a home.
In the figure : In the figure it is the people and their affection that make a house a home.
- Easy : Easy: Love makes a house a home.
- Medium : Medium: A night shelter gives a bed for the night.
- Exam-type : Exam: Homelessness is a social problem.
Four basic needs: water, food, clothing, shelter. Homelessness is a social problem.
Thinking homeless people choose to live outside. Poverty and disasters force them.
Memory clue: "घर = भिंती + प्रेम".
Spot the difference
| Cause | Example |
|---|---|
| Poverty | Cannot pay rent |
| Disaster | Flood destroys home |
| Unemployment | No income |
Practice questions
- 1Name the four basic needs.
- 2Who are homeless people?
- 3Where do homeless people shelter?
- 4Give two causes of homelessness.
- 5What is a night shelter?
- 6What turns a house into a home?
- 7What rights do all have?
- 8How can children help a homeless family near school?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Water, food, clothing, shelter.
- 2People without a house.
- 3Footpaths, bridges, stations.
- 4Poverty and unemployment.
- 5A place provided to sleep at night.
- 6The people and their love.
- 7Clean water, food, shelter and education.
- 8Share clothes and food, and tell elders or officials.
Construction and the environment
When a nearby hill is dug up for stone, the dust spreads, the stream gets muddy and birds leave. Building houses can hurt nature.
Building houses in large numbers uses many natural resources, which harms the environment.
Rule 1: Harm to nature — Hills are dug for quarrying, sand is taken from seashores and riverbeds, stone and earth are taken from the ground, too much groundwater is drawn, trees are felled and ponds, lakes and streams are filled up. These cause air, water, soil and noise pollution.
In the figure : In the figure these ways of getting building material cause air, water, soil and noise pollution.
- Easy : Easy: Felling trees harms nature.
- Medium : Medium: Filling a pond reduces water.
- Exam-type : Exam: Name four harms of construction.
Rule 2: Land, energy and fuel — Growing cities turn farmland into roads and settlements; when farmland runs short, forests are cut. Energy is used on a large scale to make bricks, cement and glass. It comes from coal, natural gas and mineral oil, which can be used only once, take lakhs of years to form and pollute the air when burnt. We should use non-exhaustible (अक्षय) sources like solar and wind energy, which are plentiful and do not pollute.
In the figure : In the figure solar and wind energy are plentiful and do not pollute.
- Easy : Easy: Solar energy is from the sun.
- Medium : Medium: Coal takes lakhs of years to form.
- Exam-type : Exam: Burning coal pollutes the air.
Construction uses resources and energy. Use solar and wind, which never run out.
Thinking coal and oil will last forever. They can be used only once.
Memory clue: "कोळसा-तेल संपते; सूर्य-वारा संपत नाही".
Spot the difference
| Energy | Kind |
|---|---|
| Coal, gas, oil | Used once; pollute |
| Sun | Non-exhaustible; clean |
| Wind | Non-exhaustible; clean |
Practice questions
- 1Name two harms of taking sand from a river.
- 2Why is farmland shrinking?
- 3Which fuels can be used only once?
- 4Name two non-exhaustible energy sources.
- 5What pollution arises from burning fuels?
- 6Why should we not fill ponds?
- 7A house needs 3000 bricks. 4 houses need how many?
- 8Which energy should a new school building use on its roof?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1River bed damage and loss of water life.
- 2It becomes roads and houses.
- 3Coal, natural gas, mineral oil.
- 4Solar and wind.
- 5Air pollution.
- 6They store water and shelter life.
- 73000 × 4 = 12,000.
- 8Solar energy.
Eco-friendly houses and special shelters
Birds build nests from twigs and grass, and when they leave, the nest goes back to nature. Humans too can build in a way that is gentle on nature.
An eco-friendly house (पर्यावरणपूरक घर) is built so that it harms nature as little as possible.
Rule 1: Features of an eco-friendly house — Other living things build eco-friendly but temporary shelters. We should build permanent eco-friendly houses: minimum use of natural resources; non-exhaustible energy like biogas, wind and solar energy; recycling of water and garbage; avoiding artificial materials and colours; and natural light and ventilation.
In the figure : In the figure an eco-friendly house is gentle on nature.
- Easy : Easy: Big windows give natural light.
- Medium : Medium: A rooftop solar panel saves coal.
- Exam-type : Exam: List four features of such a house.
Rule 2: Special shelters — Underwater shelters in coastal Europe and North America let tourists view the sea-bed and marine life. Mumbai was made by joining seven islands; the water between them was filled with stone and earth to make land. This reclaimed land is low-lying and floods easily in heavy rain.
In the figure : In the figure Mumbai was made by joining seven islands.
- Easy : Easy: Mumbai has seven islands.
- Medium : Medium: Filled-up land floods in heavy rain.
- Exam-type : Exam: Mumbai became the Brihanmumbai metropolis.
Eco-friendly house: few resources, clean energy, recycling, natural light.
Thinking an eco-friendly house is only a small hut. It can be of any size.
Memory clue: "कमी वापर, स्वच्छ ऊर्जा, पुनर्वापर".
Spot the difference
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Solar energy | No pollution |
| Recycling | Saves water and waste |
| Natural light | Saves electricity |
Practice questions
- 1What is an eco-friendly house?
- 2Name two clean energy sources.
- 3What is done with garbage in such a house?
- 4Why use natural light?
- 5What did the underwater shelters show tourists?
- 6How many islands joined to make Mumbai?
- 7Why does reclaimed land in Mumbai get waterlogged?
- 8Why is a bird's nest eco-friendly but not permanent?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A house that harms nature as little as possible.
- 2Solar and wind (also biogas).
- 3It is recycled.
- 4It saves electricity.
- 5The sea-bed and marine life.
- 6Seven.
- 7It is low-lying.
- 8It is made of natural twigs and returns to nature.
Quick revision
- A house gives shelter and protection; houses suit the climate of the region.
- Building materials come from nature; construction causes pollution and uses much energy.
- Use non-exhaustible energy and build eco-friendly houses.