Grade 10 EVM Field Trip
24 students set out on a journey to Behror, Rajasthan to discover the reality of Mining. This topic is a part of the curriculum, where they understand the impact of mining on the environment. This also is mandatory part of the coursework for EVM. Throughout the journey, we clicked pictures of instances of pollution. It was surprising to realize how we ignore the fact that there are so many ways in which we can reduce pollution but so little is being done to control it. On the contrary there are numerous ways in which people are increasing it.
We reached our first official stop at a water harvesting place. We went through the lanes of the village and down one hundred steps to the bottom of a Step-well [BAOLI] to examine the place—which is now heavily polluted. It is said that the water in the well can be mixed with certain acids and then be used to cure diseases. That is so good for the people of the village, since they are prone to falling sick. The place is now more or less in ruins. The next of our few stops was at the production site where slate is cut. According to one of the older people who work over there, they produce an average of 10 lakh units per month. After it is cut they export it to countries like Australia, England and other places in Europe. We also collected some samples of waste left after the production of the slabs.
Our last and final stop before we made our way back home was the mining area. Due to health risks we couldn’t go into it but we saw the area from a distance. We learnt that they cut through the rocks and take them to the processing area where it is cut up carefully and shipped around the world. The remaining though is melted and mixed with tar for road construction.
The rest of the journey was less eventful as everyone was tired. Getting stuck in traffic didn’t help either and there was commotion as everyone wanted to get home soon and be free as a bird. The boarders looked forward to home for a day and to enjoy what was left of their weekend.
Text: Vyusti Channa, Grade 10
24 students set out on a journey to Behror, Rajasthan to discover the reality of Mining. This topic is a part of the curriculum, where they understand the impact of mining on the environment. This also is mandatory part of the coursework for EVM. Throughout the journey, we clicked pictures of instances of pollution. It was surprising to realize how we ignore the fact that there are so many ways in which we can reduce pollution but so little is being done to control it. On the contrary there are numerous ways in which people are increasing it.
We reached our first official stop at a water harvesting place. We went through the lanes of the village and down one hundred steps to the bottom of a Step-well [BAOLI] to examine the place—which is now heavily polluted. It is said that the water in the well can be mixed with certain acids and then be used to cure diseases. That is so good for the people of the village, since they are prone to falling sick. The place is now more or less in ruins. The next of our few stops was at the production site where slate is cut. According to one of the older people who work over there, they produce an average of 10 lakh units per month. After it is cut they export it to countries like Australia, England and other places in Europe. We also collected some samples of waste left after the production of the slabs.
Our last and final stop before we made our way back home was the mining area. Due to health risks we couldn’t go into it but we saw the area from a distance. We learnt that they cut through the rocks and take them to the processing area where it is cut up carefully and shipped around the world. The remaining though is melted and mixed with tar for road construction.
The rest of the journey was less eventful as everyone was tired. Getting stuck in traffic didn’t help either and there was commotion as everyone wanted to get home soon and be free as a bird. The boarders looked forward to home for a day and to enjoy what was left of their weekend.
Text: Vyusti Channa, Grade 10