Value Education
Value education in the context of our environment is expected to bring about a new sustainable way of life. Education, both through formal and non-formal processes, must thus address understanding environmental, natural and cultural values, social justice, human heritage, equitable use of resources, managing common property resources and the causes of ecological degradation.
Essentially, environmental values cannot be taught. They are inculcated through a complex process of appreciating our environmental assets and experiencing the problems caused due to our destruction of our environment. The problems that are created by technology and economic growth are a result of our improper thinking on what 'development' means. Since we still put a high value only on economic growth, we have no concern for aspects such as sustainability or equitable use of resources. This mindset must change before concepts like sustainable development can be acted upon.
Unsustainable development is a part of economic growth of the powerful while it makes the poor poorer, and consumerism is one aspect of this process. As the consumption of resources has till recently been an index of development, consumerism has thrived. It is only recently that the world has come to realize that there are other more important environmental values that are essential to bring about a better way of life.
What are values
Values deal with one’s own principles and standards from which we judge what is right and wrong behaviour. Values in environment education must bring in several new concepts. Why and how can we use less resources and energy? Why do we need to keep our surroundings clean? Why should we use less fertilizers and pesticides in farms? Why is it important for us to save water and keep our water sources clean? Or separate our garbage into degradable and non-degradable types before disposal? All these issues are linked to the quality of human life and go beyond simple economic growth. They deal with a love and respect for nature. These are the values that will bring about a better humanity, one in which we can live healthy, productive and happy lives in harmony with nature.
Environmental values
Every human being has a great variety of feelings for different aspects of his or her surroundings. The Western, modern approach values the resources of nature for their utilitarian importance alone. However, true environmental values go beyond valuing a river for its water, a forest for its timber and NTFPs, or the sea for its fish. Environmental values are inherent in feelings that bring about a sensitivity for preserving nature as a whole. This is a more spiritual, Eastern, traditional value. There are several writings and sayings in Indian thought that support the concept of the oneness of all creation, of respecting and valuing all the different components of nature. Our environmental values must also translate into pro-conservation actions in all our day-to-day activities. Most of our actions have adverse environmental impacts unless we consciously avoid them. The sentiment that attempts to reverse these trends is enshrined in our environmental values.
Values lead to a process of decision making which leads to action. For value education in relation to the environment, this process is learned through an understanding and appreciation of nature's oneness and the importance of its conservation.
Humans have an inborn desire to explore nature and to unravel its mysteries. However, modern society and educational processes have invariably suppressed these innate sentiments. Once exposed to the wonders of the wilderness, people tend to bond closely to nature. They begin to appreciate its complexity and fragility and this awakens a new desire to want to protect our natural heritage. This feeling for nature is a part of our Constitution, which strongly emphasizes this value.
Concepts of what constitutes 'right' and 'wrong' behavior change with time; values are not constant. It was once considered 'sport' to shoot animals. It was considered a royal, brave and desirable activity to kill a tiger. In today's context, with wildlife reduced to a tiny fraction of what there was in the past, it is now looked down upon as a crime against biodiversity conservation. Thus, the value system has been altered with time and circumstances. Similarly, with the large tracts of forest that existed in the past, cutting a few trees was not a significant criminal act. Today, this constitutes a major concern. With the small human numbers in the past, throwing away a little household degradable garbage could not have been considered wrong. But with enormous numbers of people throwing away large quantities of non-degradable waste, it is indeed extremely damaging to the environment and our value system must prevent all this through a strong environmental value education system.
Appreciating the negative effects of our actions on the environment must become a part of our day-to-day thinking. Our current value system extols economic and technical progress as being what we need in our developing country. While we do need economic development, our value system must change to one that makes people everywhere support a sustainable form of development so that we do not have to bear the cost of environmental degradation.
Environmental problems created by development are due neither to the need for economic development, nor to the technology that produces pollution, but rather to a lack of awareness of the consequences of unlimited and unrestrained anti-environmental behaviour. Looked at in this way, it deals with concepts of what is appropriate behavior in relation to our surroundings and to other species on Earth. How we live our lives in fact shapes our environment. This is what environmental values are about.
ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES BASED ON THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
Article 48A:
"The state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife in the country."
Article 51 A (g)
The constitution expects that each citizen of the country must "protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for all living creatures”.
Each action by an individual must be linked to its environmental consequences in his/her mind, so that a value is created that strengthens pro-environmental behaviour and prevents anti-environmental actions. This cannot happen unless new educational processes are created that provide a meaning to what is taught at school and college level. Every child asks questions like 'What does this mean?' They want an explanation for things happening around them that can help them make decisions and through this process develop values. It is this innate curiosity that leads to a personalized set of values in later life. Providing appropriate 'meanings' for such questions related to our own environment develops a set of values that most people in society begin to accept as a norm. Thus, pro-environmental actions begin to move from the domain of individuals to that of a community.
At the community level, this occurs only when a critical number of people become environmentally conscious so that they constitute a pro-environment lobbying force that makes governments and other people accept good environmental behaviour as an important part of development.
What professions require making value judgments that greatly influence our environment? Evidently nearly every profession can and does influence our environment, but some do so more than others. Policy-makers, administrators, landuse planners, media, architects, medical personnel, health-care workers, agriculturalists, agricultural experts, irrigation planners, mining experts, foresters, forest planners, industrialists and, most importantly, teachers at the school and college levels, are all closely related to pro-environmental outcomes.
Environmental values are linked to varied environmental concerns. While we value resources that we use as food, water and other products, there are also environmental services that we must appreciate. These include nature's mechanisms in cleaning up air by removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen by plant life, recycling water through the water cycle of nature, maintaining climate regimes, etc.
Strategies for sustainable living
• I will work towards the protection of our environment and the preservation of our wild species, I will work towards this with other like-minded individuals.
• I will consciously avoid committing acts that damage our environment and will publicly assert my dislikes for acts against the environment.
• I will not permit others to cause harm to the wilderness and our wild species without protest.
• I will use resources carefully by reducing, reusing and recycling whatever
• I use, such as water, paper, plastic, metal and glass articles.
• I will not carelessly throwaway items that are made of our precious natural resources.
• I will use energy carefully and close off electrical appliances when not in use.
• I will not waste energy by using a fuel-based vehicle when I can walk or cycle.
• I will visit our wondrous wild places with clean air, water, soil, and all their plants and animals, and become a party to their conservation.
• I will not permit any individual or Government action spoils our environment or damage wilderness without protest.
• I will always care for Mother Earth.
• I will try not to damage her, knowingly or unknowingly.
However, there are other aesthetic, ethical values that are equally important aspects of our environment that we do not appreciate consciously. While every species is of importance in the web of life, there are some which man has come to admire for their beauty alone. The tiger's magnificence, the whale and elephant's giant size, the intelligence of our cousins the primates, the graceful flight of a flock of cranes, are parts of nature that we cannot help but admire. The lush splendor of an evergreen forest, the great power of the ocean's waves, and the tranquility of the Himalayan mountains are things that each of us values even if we do not experience it ourselves. We value its being there on Earth for us. This is called its' existence value’.
We must also look at our environment beyond the wild sphere. There is incredible beauty in some man-modified landscapes, the colored patterns of farmland or the green hues of a tea or coffee plantation in the hills.
Urban gardens and open space are also valuable and must be of prime concern to urban planners. These green spaces act as not only the 'lungs' of a city, but also provide much-needed psychological support. The mental peace and relaxation provided by such areas needs to be valued, although it is difficult to put a price tag on these values. Nevertheless, these centers of peace and tranquility give urban dwellers an opportunity to balance their highly man-modified environments with the splash of green of a garden space. Dr Ernest Wilson believed, as many do today, that these green spaces are vital to our mental and physical well-being; he coined the phrase 'biophilia' to describe this.
Environmental values must also stress on the importance of preserving ancient structures. The characteristic architecture, sculpture, artworks and crafts of ancient cultures are invaluable environmental assets. They tell us where we have come from, where we are now, and perhaps (if we are willing to learn from them) where we should go. Architectural heritage goes beyond preserving old buildings, to conserving whole traditional landscapes in rural areas and streetscapes in urban settings. Unless we learn to value these landscapes, they will disappear and our heritage will be Irrevocably lost.
As environmentally conscious individuals we need to develop a sense of values that are linked with a better and more sustainable way of life for all people. There are several positive as well as negative aspects of behavior that are linked to our environment. The positive feelings that support environment include a value for nature, cultures, heritage, and equity. We also need to become more sensitive to aspects that have negative impacts on the environment. These include our attitude towards the degradation of the environment, loss of species, pollution, poverty, corruption in environmental management, the rights of future generations and animal rights.
Several great philosophers have thoughts that have been based on, or embedded, in proenvironmental behavior. Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore are among the many internationally well-known scholars whose thought have included values that are related to environmental consciousness. We need to understand and adopt these values to bring about a better way of life on earth for all people and all living creatures. The study of these ideas and concepts is called 'Environmental Ethics', a branch of Philosophy.
Woman and Child Welfare
There are several environmental factors that are closely linked to the welfare of women and children. Each year, close to eleven million children worldwide is estimated to have died from the effects of disease and inadequate nutrition. Most of these deaths are in the developing world. In some countries, more than one in five children die before they are 5 years old. Seven out of ten childhood deaths in developing countries can be attributed to five main causes, or a combination of them. These are: pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, malaria and malnutrition. Around the world, three out of every four children suffer from at least one of these conditions.
The diagnosis of common childhood disease conditions
Complaint/ symptom Possible cause or associated condition
Cough and/or fast breathing Pneumonia Severe anemia P. falciparum malaria
Lethargy or unconsciousness Cerebral malaria Meningitis Severe dehydration Very severe pneumonia
Measles rash Pneumonia Diarrhea Ear infection
''Very sick" young infant Pneumonia Meningitis Sepsis
Respiratory conditions: Most respiratory diseases are caused by or are worsened by polluted air. Living in crowded, ill-ventilated homes with smoky, open fires can trigger respiratory conditions, especially in children.
Pneumonia: Acute respiratory infections (ARI), most frequently pneumonia, is a major cause of death in children under five years, killing over two million children annually. Up to 40% of children seen in health centers suffer from respiratory conditions and many deaths attributed to other causes are, in fact, 'hidden' ARI deaths. Children may die very quickly from the infection and thus need treatment urgently. Most patients of pneumonia can be treated with oral antibiotics. Correct management could save over 1 million lives every year globally.
Gastrointestinal conditions: Contaminated water and food causes widespread ill health especially in children.
Diarrhea: Diarrhea is caused by a wide variety of infections. Quick diagnosis and treatment of diarrhea is a priority for saving a child's life. Treating the malnutrition that often accompanies diarrhea can further reduce mortality. Increasing vigilance to detect other diseases that can occur concurrently with diarrhea, such as measles or malaria, is another important measure. Increased breastfeeding and administering measles vaccination have also been observed to have reduced the number of diarrhea cases.
Measles: Measles is a rash that appears with fever and body ache in children and is caused by a virus. It infects over 40 million children and kills over 800,000 children under the age of five. Its prevention includes wider immunization coverage, rapid referral of serious cases, prompt recognition of conditions that occur in association with measles, and improved nutrition, including breastfeeding, and vitamin A supplements. Measles can be prevented by a vaccine. Young children with measles often develop other diseases like acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and malnutrition that are all linked to poor environmental conditions in their surroundings. Children who survive an attack of measles are more vulnerable to other dangerous infections for several months. Effective prevention and treatment could save 800,000 lives per year.
Malaria: This condition is closely linked to pooling and stagnation of water in tropical environments. Malaria is a widespread tropical disease, which is caused by a parasite transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. It has proved difficult to control because mosquitoes have become resistant to insecticides used against them and because the parasite has developed resistance in some areas to the cheap and effective drugs that used to provide good protection in the past. However, alternative newer drug therapies have been developed for use in areas where resistant parasites are found. Correct management could save 500,000 lives per year. Approximately 700,000 children die of malaria globally each year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Young children are particularly vulnerable because they have not developed the partial immunity that results from surviving repeated infections.
Poverty-environment-malnutrition: There is a close association between poverty, a degraded environment, and malnutrition. This is further aggravated by a lack of awareness on how children become malnourished.
Malnutrition: Although malnutrition is rarely listed as the direct cause of death, it contributes to about half of all childhood deaths. Lack of access to food, poor feeding practices and infection, or a combination of the two, are the major causes of mortality.
Infection, particularly frequent or persistent diarrhea, pneumonia, measles and malaria, undermines nutritional status. Poor feeding practices - inadequate breastfeeding, providing the wrong food, or insufficient food - contribute to malnutrition. Malnourished children are more vulnerable to disease. Promoting breastfeeding, improving feeding practices, and providing micronutrient supplements routinely for children who need them are measures that reduce mortality.
Children between 6 months and 2 years of age are at increased risk of malnutrition, when there is a transition between breastfeeding and sharing fully in the family diet. Changing family habits and the kinds of food offered to children is an important measure. Talking to mothers individually about home care and their child's feeding, with relatively simple changes to better feeding practices, such as helping them to eat rather than leaving them to fend for themselves, can ensure that a child gets enough to eat.
A minor increase in breastfeeding could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five. When mother’s breastfeed exclusively during at least the first four months and, if possible, six months of life, there is a decrease in episodes of diarrhea and, to a lesser extent, respiratory infections. Even small amounts of water-based drinks decrease the breast milk intake and lead to lowered weight gain; this increases the risk of diarrhea. Continuing to breastfeed as long as possible maintains good nutritional status.
Mothers often give their babies other food and fluids before six months because they doubt their breast milk supply is adequate. A one-on-one counseling with mothers on breastfeeding techniques and its benefits will help reduce the incidence of malnutrition.
There are strong connections between the status of the environment and the welfare of women and children in India. Women, especially in lower-income groups, both in the rural and urban sector, work longer hours than men. Their work pattern differs and is more prone to health hazards. The daily collection of water, fuel wood and fodder is an arduous task for rural women. In urban areas, where lower economic group women live in crowded smoke-filled shanties in unhygienic slums, they spend long hours indoors, leading to respiratory diseases. In urban centers, a number of women eke out a living by garbage picking. They separate plastics, metal and other recyclable material from the waste. During this process, they can get several infections. They are provide an environmental service of great value, but earn a pittance from this work and are exposed to various infections.
Women and girls are often the last to eat, as their role in traditional society is to cook the family meal and feed their husband and sons first. This leads to malnutrition and anemia due to inadequate nutrition. The girl child is given less attention and educational facilities as compared to boys in India. Thus, they are unable to compete with men in later life. This social-environmental divide is a major concern that needs to be corrected throughout the country.
Value education in the context of our environment is expected to bring about a new sustainable way of life. Education, both through formal and non-formal processes, must thus address understanding environmental, natural and cultural values, social justice, human heritage, equitable use of resources, managing common property resources and the causes of ecological degradation.
Essentially, environmental values cannot be taught. They are inculcated through a complex process of appreciating our environmental assets and experiencing the problems caused due to our destruction of our environment. The problems that are created by technology and economic growth are a result of our improper thinking on what 'development' means. Since we still put a high value only on economic growth, we have no concern for aspects such as sustainability or equitable use of resources. This mindset must change before concepts like sustainable development can be acted upon.
Unsustainable development is a part of economic growth of the powerful while it makes the poor poorer, and consumerism is one aspect of this process. As the consumption of resources has till recently been an index of development, consumerism has thrived. It is only recently that the world has come to realize that there are other more important environmental values that are essential to bring about a better way of life.
What are values
Values deal with one’s own principles and standards from which we judge what is right and wrong behaviour. Values in environment education must bring in several new concepts. Why and how can we use less resources and energy? Why do we need to keep our surroundings clean? Why should we use less fertilizers and pesticides in farms? Why is it important for us to save water and keep our water sources clean? Or separate our garbage into degradable and non-degradable types before disposal? All these issues are linked to the quality of human life and go beyond simple economic growth. They deal with a love and respect for nature. These are the values that will bring about a better humanity, one in which we can live healthy, productive and happy lives in harmony with nature.
Environmental values
Every human being has a great variety of feelings for different aspects of his or her surroundings. The Western, modern approach values the resources of nature for their utilitarian importance alone. However, true environmental values go beyond valuing a river for its water, a forest for its timber and NTFPs, or the sea for its fish. Environmental values are inherent in feelings that bring about a sensitivity for preserving nature as a whole. This is a more spiritual, Eastern, traditional value. There are several writings and sayings in Indian thought that support the concept of the oneness of all creation, of respecting and valuing all the different components of nature. Our environmental values must also translate into pro-conservation actions in all our day-to-day activities. Most of our actions have adverse environmental impacts unless we consciously avoid them. The sentiment that attempts to reverse these trends is enshrined in our environmental values.
Values lead to a process of decision making which leads to action. For value education in relation to the environment, this process is learned through an understanding and appreciation of nature's oneness and the importance of its conservation.
Humans have an inborn desire to explore nature and to unravel its mysteries. However, modern society and educational processes have invariably suppressed these innate sentiments. Once exposed to the wonders of the wilderness, people tend to bond closely to nature. They begin to appreciate its complexity and fragility and this awakens a new desire to want to protect our natural heritage. This feeling for nature is a part of our Constitution, which strongly emphasizes this value.
Concepts of what constitutes 'right' and 'wrong' behavior change with time; values are not constant. It was once considered 'sport' to shoot animals. It was considered a royal, brave and desirable activity to kill a tiger. In today's context, with wildlife reduced to a tiny fraction of what there was in the past, it is now looked down upon as a crime against biodiversity conservation. Thus, the value system has been altered with time and circumstances. Similarly, with the large tracts of forest that existed in the past, cutting a few trees was not a significant criminal act. Today, this constitutes a major concern. With the small human numbers in the past, throwing away a little household degradable garbage could not have been considered wrong. But with enormous numbers of people throwing away large quantities of non-degradable waste, it is indeed extremely damaging to the environment and our value system must prevent all this through a strong environmental value education system.
Appreciating the negative effects of our actions on the environment must become a part of our day-to-day thinking. Our current value system extols economic and technical progress as being what we need in our developing country. While we do need economic development, our value system must change to one that makes people everywhere support a sustainable form of development so that we do not have to bear the cost of environmental degradation.
Environmental problems created by development are due neither to the need for economic development, nor to the technology that produces pollution, but rather to a lack of awareness of the consequences of unlimited and unrestrained anti-environmental behaviour. Looked at in this way, it deals with concepts of what is appropriate behavior in relation to our surroundings and to other species on Earth. How we live our lives in fact shapes our environment. This is what environmental values are about.
ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES BASED ON THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
Article 48A:
"The state shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife in the country."
Article 51 A (g)
The constitution expects that each citizen of the country must "protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for all living creatures”.
Each action by an individual must be linked to its environmental consequences in his/her mind, so that a value is created that strengthens pro-environmental behaviour and prevents anti-environmental actions. This cannot happen unless new educational processes are created that provide a meaning to what is taught at school and college level. Every child asks questions like 'What does this mean?' They want an explanation for things happening around them that can help them make decisions and through this process develop values. It is this innate curiosity that leads to a personalized set of values in later life. Providing appropriate 'meanings' for such questions related to our own environment develops a set of values that most people in society begin to accept as a norm. Thus, pro-environmental actions begin to move from the domain of individuals to that of a community.
At the community level, this occurs only when a critical number of people become environmentally conscious so that they constitute a pro-environment lobbying force that makes governments and other people accept good environmental behaviour as an important part of development.
What professions require making value judgments that greatly influence our environment? Evidently nearly every profession can and does influence our environment, but some do so more than others. Policy-makers, administrators, landuse planners, media, architects, medical personnel, health-care workers, agriculturalists, agricultural experts, irrigation planners, mining experts, foresters, forest planners, industrialists and, most importantly, teachers at the school and college levels, are all closely related to pro-environmental outcomes.
Environmental values are linked to varied environmental concerns. While we value resources that we use as food, water and other products, there are also environmental services that we must appreciate. These include nature's mechanisms in cleaning up air by removing carbon dioxide and adding oxygen by plant life, recycling water through the water cycle of nature, maintaining climate regimes, etc.
Strategies for sustainable living
• I will work towards the protection of our environment and the preservation of our wild species, I will work towards this with other like-minded individuals.
• I will consciously avoid committing acts that damage our environment and will publicly assert my dislikes for acts against the environment.
• I will not permit others to cause harm to the wilderness and our wild species without protest.
• I will use resources carefully by reducing, reusing and recycling whatever
• I use, such as water, paper, plastic, metal and glass articles.
• I will not carelessly throwaway items that are made of our precious natural resources.
• I will use energy carefully and close off electrical appliances when not in use.
• I will not waste energy by using a fuel-based vehicle when I can walk or cycle.
• I will visit our wondrous wild places with clean air, water, soil, and all their plants and animals, and become a party to their conservation.
• I will not permit any individual or Government action spoils our environment or damage wilderness without protest.
• I will always care for Mother Earth.
• I will try not to damage her, knowingly or unknowingly.
However, there are other aesthetic, ethical values that are equally important aspects of our environment that we do not appreciate consciously. While every species is of importance in the web of life, there are some which man has come to admire for their beauty alone. The tiger's magnificence, the whale and elephant's giant size, the intelligence of our cousins the primates, the graceful flight of a flock of cranes, are parts of nature that we cannot help but admire. The lush splendor of an evergreen forest, the great power of the ocean's waves, and the tranquility of the Himalayan mountains are things that each of us values even if we do not experience it ourselves. We value its being there on Earth for us. This is called its' existence value’.
We must also look at our environment beyond the wild sphere. There is incredible beauty in some man-modified landscapes, the colored patterns of farmland or the green hues of a tea or coffee plantation in the hills.
Urban gardens and open space are also valuable and must be of prime concern to urban planners. These green spaces act as not only the 'lungs' of a city, but also provide much-needed psychological support. The mental peace and relaxation provided by such areas needs to be valued, although it is difficult to put a price tag on these values. Nevertheless, these centers of peace and tranquility give urban dwellers an opportunity to balance their highly man-modified environments with the splash of green of a garden space. Dr Ernest Wilson believed, as many do today, that these green spaces are vital to our mental and physical well-being; he coined the phrase 'biophilia' to describe this.
Environmental values must also stress on the importance of preserving ancient structures. The characteristic architecture, sculpture, artworks and crafts of ancient cultures are invaluable environmental assets. They tell us where we have come from, where we are now, and perhaps (if we are willing to learn from them) where we should go. Architectural heritage goes beyond preserving old buildings, to conserving whole traditional landscapes in rural areas and streetscapes in urban settings. Unless we learn to value these landscapes, they will disappear and our heritage will be Irrevocably lost.
As environmentally conscious individuals we need to develop a sense of values that are linked with a better and more sustainable way of life for all people. There are several positive as well as negative aspects of behavior that are linked to our environment. The positive feelings that support environment include a value for nature, cultures, heritage, and equity. We also need to become more sensitive to aspects that have negative impacts on the environment. These include our attitude towards the degradation of the environment, loss of species, pollution, poverty, corruption in environmental management, the rights of future generations and animal rights.
Several great philosophers have thoughts that have been based on, or embedded, in proenvironmental behavior. Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore are among the many internationally well-known scholars whose thought have included values that are related to environmental consciousness. We need to understand and adopt these values to bring about a better way of life on earth for all people and all living creatures. The study of these ideas and concepts is called 'Environmental Ethics', a branch of Philosophy.
Woman and Child Welfare
There are several environmental factors that are closely linked to the welfare of women and children. Each year, close to eleven million children worldwide is estimated to have died from the effects of disease and inadequate nutrition. Most of these deaths are in the developing world. In some countries, more than one in five children die before they are 5 years old. Seven out of ten childhood deaths in developing countries can be attributed to five main causes, or a combination of them. These are: pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, malaria and malnutrition. Around the world, three out of every four children suffer from at least one of these conditions.
The diagnosis of common childhood disease conditions
Complaint/ symptom Possible cause or associated condition
Cough and/or fast breathing Pneumonia Severe anemia P. falciparum malaria
Lethargy or unconsciousness Cerebral malaria Meningitis Severe dehydration Very severe pneumonia
Measles rash Pneumonia Diarrhea Ear infection
''Very sick" young infant Pneumonia Meningitis Sepsis
Respiratory conditions: Most respiratory diseases are caused by or are worsened by polluted air. Living in crowded, ill-ventilated homes with smoky, open fires can trigger respiratory conditions, especially in children.
Pneumonia: Acute respiratory infections (ARI), most frequently pneumonia, is a major cause of death in children under five years, killing over two million children annually. Up to 40% of children seen in health centers suffer from respiratory conditions and many deaths attributed to other causes are, in fact, 'hidden' ARI deaths. Children may die very quickly from the infection and thus need treatment urgently. Most patients of pneumonia can be treated with oral antibiotics. Correct management could save over 1 million lives every year globally.
Gastrointestinal conditions: Contaminated water and food causes widespread ill health especially in children.
Diarrhea: Diarrhea is caused by a wide variety of infections. Quick diagnosis and treatment of diarrhea is a priority for saving a child's life. Treating the malnutrition that often accompanies diarrhea can further reduce mortality. Increasing vigilance to detect other diseases that can occur concurrently with diarrhea, such as measles or malaria, is another important measure. Increased breastfeeding and administering measles vaccination have also been observed to have reduced the number of diarrhea cases.
Measles: Measles is a rash that appears with fever and body ache in children and is caused by a virus. It infects over 40 million children and kills over 800,000 children under the age of five. Its prevention includes wider immunization coverage, rapid referral of serious cases, prompt recognition of conditions that occur in association with measles, and improved nutrition, including breastfeeding, and vitamin A supplements. Measles can be prevented by a vaccine. Young children with measles often develop other diseases like acute respiratory infections, diarrhea and malnutrition that are all linked to poor environmental conditions in their surroundings. Children who survive an attack of measles are more vulnerable to other dangerous infections for several months. Effective prevention and treatment could save 800,000 lives per year.
Malaria: This condition is closely linked to pooling and stagnation of water in tropical environments. Malaria is a widespread tropical disease, which is caused by a parasite transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. It has proved difficult to control because mosquitoes have become resistant to insecticides used against them and because the parasite has developed resistance in some areas to the cheap and effective drugs that used to provide good protection in the past. However, alternative newer drug therapies have been developed for use in areas where resistant parasites are found. Correct management could save 500,000 lives per year. Approximately 700,000 children die of malaria globally each year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Young children are particularly vulnerable because they have not developed the partial immunity that results from surviving repeated infections.
Poverty-environment-malnutrition: There is a close association between poverty, a degraded environment, and malnutrition. This is further aggravated by a lack of awareness on how children become malnourished.
Malnutrition: Although malnutrition is rarely listed as the direct cause of death, it contributes to about half of all childhood deaths. Lack of access to food, poor feeding practices and infection, or a combination of the two, are the major causes of mortality.
Infection, particularly frequent or persistent diarrhea, pneumonia, measles and malaria, undermines nutritional status. Poor feeding practices - inadequate breastfeeding, providing the wrong food, or insufficient food - contribute to malnutrition. Malnourished children are more vulnerable to disease. Promoting breastfeeding, improving feeding practices, and providing micronutrient supplements routinely for children who need them are measures that reduce mortality.
Children between 6 months and 2 years of age are at increased risk of malnutrition, when there is a transition between breastfeeding and sharing fully in the family diet. Changing family habits and the kinds of food offered to children is an important measure. Talking to mothers individually about home care and their child's feeding, with relatively simple changes to better feeding practices, such as helping them to eat rather than leaving them to fend for themselves, can ensure that a child gets enough to eat.
A minor increase in breastfeeding could prevent up to 10% of all deaths of children under five. When mother’s breastfeed exclusively during at least the first four months and, if possible, six months of life, there is a decrease in episodes of diarrhea and, to a lesser extent, respiratory infections. Even small amounts of water-based drinks decrease the breast milk intake and lead to lowered weight gain; this increases the risk of diarrhea. Continuing to breastfeed as long as possible maintains good nutritional status.
Mothers often give their babies other food and fluids before six months because they doubt their breast milk supply is adequate. A one-on-one counseling with mothers on breastfeeding techniques and its benefits will help reduce the incidence of malnutrition.
There are strong connections between the status of the environment and the welfare of women and children in India. Women, especially in lower-income groups, both in the rural and urban sector, work longer hours than men. Their work pattern differs and is more prone to health hazards. The daily collection of water, fuel wood and fodder is an arduous task for rural women. In urban areas, where lower economic group women live in crowded smoke-filled shanties in unhygienic slums, they spend long hours indoors, leading to respiratory diseases. In urban centers, a number of women eke out a living by garbage picking. They separate plastics, metal and other recyclable material from the waste. During this process, they can get several infections. They are provide an environmental service of great value, but earn a pittance from this work and are exposed to various infections.
Women and girls are often the last to eat, as their role in traditional society is to cook the family meal and feed their husband and sons first. This leads to malnutrition and anemia due to inadequate nutrition. The girl child is given less attention and educational facilities as compared to boys in India. Thus, they are unable to compete with men in later life. This social-environmental divide is a major concern that needs to be corrected throughout the country.
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