EVS Class-5 NCERT Solutions, Chapter 14-: When The Earth Shook
Class 5 EVS Chapter 14 introduces the concept of natural calamities and their mitigation with special reference to earthquakes. The chapter mentions— the occurrence of earthquakes and their after-effects. rescue operations. how doctors, community helpers, military, and different relief organisations provide help during such natural calamities. measures adopted for withstanding an earthquake. what to do immediately in case of an earthquake. Other natural calamities like floods, and famines, and how these affect people's lives are also mentioned in the chapter When the Earth Shook. The NCERT textbook (Looking Around) questions are answered in a simple and engaging manner. We also have related ‘Learning Concepts’, and interactive worksheets with solutions. Our ‘Learning Beyond’ segment caters to all the probable questions that the child might think out of curiosity. Download Chapter 14 When the Earth Shook! in the PDF format for free.
Download the NCERT Solutions for When The Earth Shook in PDF
Discuss and Write
Have you or anyone that you know ever faced such difficulty?
Yes, my uncle lives in Gujarat, and he had witnessed an earthquake last year.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Who all helped at such a time? Make a list.
The following people helped my uncle and a thousand other people during the earthquake—
i) Neighbours
ii) Government officials
iii) People from adjoining cities
iv) Non-government organisations
v) Local police
vi) Doctors and nurses
vii) Military
Discuss
People in Jasma’s village rebuilt their houses with suggestions from the engineers. Will these houses be safer than before in case there is an earthquake again? Why?
The houses were being rebuilt under the guidance of engineers so that minimum damage would be caused in case of earthquakes. Hence, these houses will be safer than before.
A lot of people from other places came to Jasma’s village. Who were these people? In what ways would they have helped the villagers?
The following people came to help in Jasma’s village—
i) Doctors and medical personnel came to help the injured people.
ii) Non-government organisations supplied food, medicines and water.
iii) Scientists came to scrutinise the area and predict the future occurrence of earthquakes.
iv) Local people under the guidance of government officials and engineers came in for repair and construction work.
Think, if there were an earthquake where you live, would your house be in danger? What kind of damage could take place?
My house would be in danger in the case of severe earthquakes. However, for a mild earthquake, there won’t be much damage.
The following damages can occur in the case of a severe earthquake—
i) Damage of electrical appliances.
ii) Damage of buildings.
iii) Possibilities of developing cracks on the ground and collapsing roofs.
iv) Risk of accidents involving fire.
Write
Compare your house with that of Jasma. List in your notebook what materials were used in making both the houses.
| Jasma’s house | Your house |
|---|---|
| Jasma’s house | Your house |
|---|---|
| Clay | Bricks |
| Mirror | Cement |
| Cow dung | Iron |
| Mud | Wood |
| Stones | Concrete |
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Have you been told in your school or anywhere else about what to do in case of an earthquake?
Yes, we had an emergency drill for earthquakes at our school. We were told to follow these rules if an earthquake occurs—
i) Not to touch electrical switches.
ii) Hide under a strong table.
iii) Use stairs instead of elevators for exiting the building.
iv) Turn off the gas regulator.
v) Move to open space.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Why do you think one should go under a table during an earthquake?
One should go under a table during an earthquake because it protects the person from the roofs and walls collapsing around them.
Write
According to the TV report, thousands of people were injured, and some died in Gujarat. If the buildings had been made in a way that they would not fall in the earthquake, would the damage have been different? How?
Earthquake leads to a loss of life and property. Building earthquake-prone houses would cause less damage as they would not collapse easily, and as a result, there will be less death and injuries. Hence, building earthquake-prone houses would be highly effective in lessening the aftermath of an earthquake.
At times like this, when people have lost their homes and all their belongings, what kind of help would they need?
People would require the following during a natural calamity—
(a) Temporary places to live.
(b) Clothes, food, water and medicines.
In such situations whose help would be needed and for what? Write in your notebook as shown here.
| Whose help will be needed | How will they help |
|---|---|
| 1. Dog | To smell out where people are lying trapped. |
| 2. _____________ | ________________ |
| Whose help will be needed | How will they help |
|---|---|
| 1. Dog | To smell out where people are lying trapped. |
| 2. Labourers | To help in removing the rubble and rebuilding new homes. |
| 3. Doctors and medical staff | For the treatment of injured people. |
| 4. Military | For immediate relocation and helping the people. |
| 5. Designers and architects | To build and plan earthquake-prone houses. |
| 6. Non-government and government organisations | For immediate relief and funds |
Discuss
Have you ever seen people in your area helping each other? When?
Yes, I have seen people in my area helping each other. There was once a flood in my village, and everybody helped each other during this natural calamity.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Imagine, living in a place where there were no other houses or people around. How would it be? For example, whom would you play with? With whom would you celebrate festivals and special days? Would you be scared?
Living alone will be a scary situation. There would be no one to talk to and spend time with. Festivals would not be of any meaning alone.
Why do people live together in a neighbourhood?
People live together in a neighbourhood because of the following reasons—
i) To help each other during need.
ii) To share happy and sad moments.
iii) Living in a neighbourhood is safer than living alone.
iv) Man is a social being, and it is their nature to live together.
People face a lot of difficulties when they lose people from their family, or their houses and belongings. In newspapers of the last one month, look for news related to such disasters—earthquakes, floods, fire, cyclones, etc., in different parts of the world. Collect these news reports and paste them in your notebook.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Your News Report
Make your own report which mentions the following:
(a) Cause of the disaster, date, and time.
(b) What kind of damage did it cause—to lives, belongings, livelihoods?
(c) Which people came forward to help? Which government offices or other groups?
DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE ROCKS GANDHINAGAR
Gandhinagar, 10 October 2011: A destructive earthquake rocked the city late at night around 11:19 p.m. As a result, huge loss of life and property occurred. Nearly 120 houses and buildings collapsed. As per the latest report, 19 people have died, and about 50 are injured. Many people have lost their homes and are waiting for help from the government.
The army came in to help with the rescue operations. Government and non-government agencies have extended their helping hands. People have been temporarily relocated to safer places, and arrangements have been made for clothes, food, medicines and water. The repair work will start soon.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Have people in your area ever got affected by famine or drought? Find such reports of different countries from newspapers. Make your own report.
RAJASTHAN HIT BY SEVERE DROUGHT
July 2006: The state of Rajasthan is seriously suffering from drought this year. Rajasthan has been receiving scanty rainfall for the last three years. Drought has led to poor groundwater situations and ecological distress across the Thar Desert. Persistent drought has forced residents to migrate to other regions as agriculture and cattle rearing are the sole means of livelihood for the locals. Others are still bearing the cascading effects of drought. The Prime Minister has announced a large relief package for helping the people affected. Arrangements have been made for rainwater harvesting. The timely adoption of proper precautions will stop this seasonal practice of migration common in the Thar Desert.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
You may need some help from these in case of an accident or emergency. Find out and write their addresses and phone numbers. Add more names to this list.
| Address | Phone numbers | |
| Fire station | ||
| Nearby hospital | ||
| Ambulance | ||
| Police station |
| Address | Phone numbers | |
| Fire station | Dadar Fire station, Baba Saheb Ambedkar Road, Dadar | 101 |
| Nearby hospital | Mumbai Port Trust Hospital, BPT Colony, Wadala | 02266567658 |
| Ambulance | BPT colony Wadala | 8822288222 |
| Police station | RTO Wadala | 100 |
| 24 × 7 Chemist shop | Seven Eleven Medimart, Lodha NCP, Wadala | 02288996677 |
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
Difficult Times
Write a report with the help of the following words:
Floods, river water, injured people, food packets, rescue work, camps, dead bodies, dead animals floating in water, houses under water, aerial survey (to see the scene of disaster from a plane), sad people, diseases spread by dirty water, homeless people, trapped people.
RIVER MANDAKINI CREATES RAMPAGE, CAUSES MASS DESTRUCTION
Kedarnath, September 2021: River Mandakini showed its fury by changing its course dramatically and affecting a large patch of residential areas. Nearby villages got submerged in the waters of Mandakini, and the people who came for pilgrimage lost their ways. People were stuck on the roofs for long hours.
Areas near the foothill got destroyed completely. Dead bodies of humans and animals were seen floating in the water.
Still, hundreds of people are missing, and the ones who have faced the scary night are still in trauma. The news channels are flooded with the news of people missing. The homeless people have been relocated to safe places by the army who came in for the rescue operations. Temporary relief camps have been put up, where volunteers are handing out food, water, clothes, and medicines.
The government has announced relief packages for families affected by this natural calamity. The government and non-government agencies are trying their best to normalise the situation as soon as possible.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]
What Have We Learnt
What type of difficulties are faced by people during floods? Look at the picture, what kind of a school have the children come to after the flood? Write down what people had to do to make their life normal again after the flood.
People face the following difficulties during floods—
i) Loss of life.
ii) Loss of property and valuable items.
iii) People get injured.
iv) Crops are destroyed due to flooding of agricultural fields.
v) Cattles and domestic animals die.
vi) Acute shortage of drinking water.
vii) Damage of road and rail network.
viii) Spread of water-borne diseases.
ix) Problems associated with sanitation and cleanliness.
x) Acute problem in communication.
After-effects of flood include the following—
i) People are forced to live in temporary houses till the situation normalises.
ii) The houses are cleaned after the water recedes.
iii) Clean water supply is arranged as there is a shortage of pure drinking water.
iv) There is a danger of the spread of diseases, and hence, medicines have to be arranged.
v) The government agencies start working to reconstruct the affected areas and the road and rail networks.
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