Course: Social and Religious Studies, Topic: UNIT 7:Environment and climate in our province

General

UNIT 7:Environment and climate in our province
Key Unit Competence: Recognize the environmental components and climate
conditions in our province and their importance.

Attitudes and Values: Appreciate the importance of the environment and show concern
about human activities that pollute the environment. Appreciate the importance of
climate and acknowledge man’s role in contributing to a good environment.

7.1 What is environment?
Environment means surroundings.
The environment is made up of both living things and non-living things such as vegetation, soil, lakes and rivers, animals, air, mountains, roads and buildings. All of these are environment components.
The environment is divided into two types:

i) Natural environment: This is the type of environment found in nature. It is made up of both living things and non-living things.
Examples are plants, animals, lakes, mountains, swamps and valleys.
ii) Man-made environment: This is the type of environment made by people in order to meet their needs. Examples are buildings, roads, dams, vehicles and markets.

7.2 Importance of the natural environment in our province Lakes
A lake is a large depression filled with water. The largest and most important lake in Rwanda is Lake Kivu. It lies between Rwanda and the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC).

Activity 7.1
1. Discuss and list all the lakes on the map above.
2. Identify the the districts and provinces where these lakes are found

Importance of lakes
Lakes are important to people in the following ways:
• People catch fish in lakes.
• People get water for domestic, industrial and irrigational use.
• Lakes attract tourists.
• Lakes help in the formation of convectional rainfall.
• Lakes are used for water transport.
• People get clay from lakes.
• Some lakes are used to generate electricity.
• They are recreational centres.
• Lakes make the surroundings pleasant.
Activity 7.1
1. Discuss how lakes are useful to us.
2. Which is the biggest lake in Rwanda?

Swamps
Swamps are waterlogged areas with dense vegetation. Some swamps are permanent while others are seasonal.
Importance of swamps
Swamps are important to us in the following ways:
• Swamps control floods.
• We get water for domestic use for swamps.
• We get clay and papyrus reeds for craft.
• We catch fish in swamps.
• Swamps help in the formation of rainfall.

Activity 7.2
1. Which type of soil do we get from swamps?
2. Apart from clay , name other things we can get from swamps.
3. How are swamps important to people in our province?
Forests
A forest is a large area covered with trees and undergrowth. There are two types of forests.
• Natural forests: These are the type of forests, where trees grow by themselves in large numbers.
• Artificial or planted forests: In these types of forests trees are planted by people.
Importance of forests
Forests are important to us in the following ways:
• We get fuel (firewood and charcoal).
• They control soil erosion
• People get timber for construction purposes and for making furniture.
• We get herbs for local medicines.
• Forests help in the formation of relief rainfall.

Natural forests in Rwanda
The following are natural forests in Rwanda.
• Nyungwe forest
• Gishwati forest
• Mukura forest
• Cyamudongo forest
• Virunga forest

Activity 7.3
1. How are forests important to our province?
2. In groups, discuss the different types of forest we have in our province as well as in others.

Terms related to forests
Afforestation: Planting trees where there are no trees.
Re-afforestation: Planting trees where have been cut down.
Agro-forestry: Planting trees together with crops.
Deforestation: Cutting down trees on a large scale.

Mountains and hills
Mountains
Mountains are the highest features on earth, with peaks and slopes.
The Peak is the highest point of a mountain.
Examples of mountains in our province as well as in other provinces are:
• Karisimbi Mountain lies on the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It is the highest peak, with at height of 4507 m in Rwanda.
• Gahinga Mountain lies at the border of Rwanda and Uganda. It is
• 3474 m high.
• Bisoke Mountain lies at the border of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is 3711 m high.
• Muhabura Mountain lies between Rwanda and Uganda. It is 4127 m high.
• Sabyinyo Mountain lies at the intersection of Rwanda, Uganda and DRC.It is 3645 m high.
Hill
A hill is a raised piece of land highland. Rwanda is said to be the land of a Thousand Hills because it has many mountains and hills.
Importance of mountains and hills
Mountains and hills
• Help in rain formation.
• Provide fertile soil for agriculture.
• Attract tourists who contribute to the economy.
• Provide stones for construction.

Caring for the natural environment
There are many ways to care for the natural environment so that it does not become exhausted. Some of these are:–
• Proper disposal of waste: We should avoid putting domestic waste in water sources.
• Avoid cutting down trees: Trees help to prevent soil erosion and make the soil more fertile.
• Building industries far from towns to reduce air pollution.
• Protect animals in national parks from poachers.
• Control bush burning: This helps to control the destruction of vegetation and soil erosion.
• Avoid swamp reclamation: Swamps help to control water drainage.
Floods can occur if swamps are destroyed
7.3 Importance of man-made environments in our province

Examples of physical man-made environments include the following.
• Roads: Roads help people to move from one place to another.
• Buildings: Buildings provide shelter and offices to people.
• Bridges: Bridges help to connect roads across valley and rivers.
• Markets: People buy and sell goods at the market.
• Electricity installation: This provides power for running industries.

Activity 7.4
1. Discuss other examples of man-made environment.
2. Why is the man-made environment important to us?
7.4 Human activities that affect the environment
There are many activities carried out by the people which can destroy the environment. These include:
• Burning brush: Destroys the vegetation cover and leaves the land bare.
• Deforestation: When trees are cut down the soil is exposed to agents, which erode it.
• Vegetation cover: Is destroyed through overgrazing and overcultivation.
• Through the construction of roads land becomes unfit for cultivation.
• Building industries near water sources reduces the water level and quality.
• Killing animals and birds creates imbalance in nature.
• Throwing rubbish in waterbodies degrades water quality.
Activity 7.5
1. Discuss what is taking place in the pictures above.
2. State other ways in which people can destroy the environment.

7.5 Dangers of polluting the environment
When the environment is polluted or become dirty, it leads to:
• Easy spread of diseases
• A decline in the quality of the environment
• Soil erosion
• Global warming

Ways of preserving the environment
We can preserve the environment by:
• Planting trees and grass in the school compound and at home.
• Making terraces.
• Avoiding throwing rubbish in water sources.
• Conserving wetlands.
• Practising agro-forestry.
• Educating people about the dangers of deforestation and swamp
drainage.
• Avoiding bush burning.
• Building industries far from the town and water sources.
Rwandan Environment Management Authority (REMA) is responsible for protecting the environment in Rwanda.

7.6 The climate in our province
To understand the climate of a place, it is very important to know what weather is.
Weather is the conditions of a place (sunshine, rain, wind,,etc.) recorded for a short period of time. A weather station tells us about the type of weather in a particular area.
Climate is the average weather conditions of a place recorded for a long period of time, for example 30-45 years.
The climate of a place can change due to human activities like deforestation and bush burning.
The climate of Rwanda is almost the same throughout the country.

Elements of the climate
The elements of the climate are conditions or factors which make up the weather.
The climate of an area changes over a long period of time.

The elements of climate include:
• Rainfall: Rainfall is the water which falls from clouds.
• Clouds: Clouds are tiny water droplets hanging in the atmosphere.
• Sunshine: Is the amount of the sun’s rays which reach Earth.
• Temperature: Tells us how hot or cold of a place is.
• Wind: Is the moving air or air in motion.
• Humidity: Humidity is the amount of water vapour present in the atmosphere.
• Air pressure: Is the weight of the atmosphere which is exerted on the earth’s surface.

Ways in which people protect themselves from bad weather
Weather changes from time to time and those changes affect people

Activity 7.6
1. Discuss the types of weather.
2. How do people protect themselves from different types of weather?
3. Define air pressure and wind.
We can protect ourselves from bad weather in different ways.
1. Sunny weather
We can protect ourselves from too much of sunshine by:
• using umbrellas.
• using sunglasses.
• using hats.
• wearing light or white clothes.

2. Rainy weather
We can protect ourselves from rainy weather by using
• umbrellas.
• raincoats.
• gumboots.

3. Cold weather
We can protect ourselves from cold weather by wearing thick woollen
clothes like sweaters and jackets.
Thick clothes prevent body heat from escaping, this keep us warm
in cold weather.

4. Windy weather
We can protect ourselves from windy weather by planting trees in the
compound. The trees in the compound block strong wind and save
our houses and property from getting destroyed by strong winds.

Activity 7.7
1. How does the climate affect people’s way of dressing?
2. Why do we wear light clothes when it is hot and thick clothes when
it is cold?
3. What is a weather station?

7.7 Weather instruments
These are instruments used to measure different elements of the weather.
These weather instruments are kept at the weather station.
A Weather station is a place where the weather is observed, measured
and recorded.

To record the various elements accurately, weather instruments are kept
in Stevenson’s screen.

A Stevenson’s screen
A wooden box in which delicate weather instruments are kept at the weather
station. This helps to protect them from damage and to obtain the accurate shade temperature.
Delicate instruments kept in a Stevenson’s Screen are the:
• Barometer
• Six’s Thermometer and
• Hygrometer
Weather records are also kept in a Stevenson’s Screen.
A Stevenson’s Screen is painted white in order to reflect the sun’s heat.
The instruments used to measure the weather are:

Thermometer
The Thermometer is an instrument used to measure temperature.
Temperature is measured in degrees.
The two liquids commonly used in thermometers are alcohol and mercury.

Types of thermometer
There are three types of thermometer. The uses of these thermometers are
different. The thermometers are:
1. Clinical Thermometers are used to measure the temperature of
the human body. They have a kink but other types of thermometer
have no kink or constriction.
2. Wall Thermometers are used to measure room temperature or the
temperature of the air.
3. Six’s thermometer are used to measure the highest and lowest
temperatures of the day.
Six’s thermometer is also called a Minimum and Maximum
Thermometer.
The minimum thermometer measures the lowest temperature of
the day while the maximum thermometer measures the highest
temperature of the day.
Activity 7.8
What is the minimum and maximum temperature shown above
thermometer?
Wind vane It is an instrument used to show the direction of the wind.
A wind vane should be placed in an open area to
avoid obstructing wind movement.
The pointer of a wind vane faces the direction the
wind is blowing to.
Windsock
A windsock is also used to measure the direction
of the wind.
The windsock points in the direction the wind is
blowing to.

Anemometer It is an instrument used to measure the
speed of the wind.
The anemometer contains cups on a rotating pole. The
rate at which the cups rotate will determine the speed
of the wind.
When the cups rotate slowly it means that the speed of
the wind is low. When the cups rotate faster it means the speed of wind is high.
Hygrometer
A hygrometer is used to measure humidity. Humidity is the amount of water vapour present in the atmosphere.

Barometer
A barometer is an instrument used to measure air pressure.
When the air pressure is low, the temperature runoff water from entering it. It contains a funnel and a measuring cylinder.increases and when the air pressure is high the temperature decreases.
It measures the amount of rainfall received in an area.
The rain gauge should be put in an open area in order
to collect the right amount of rainfall. It should also be
kept on a raised platform above the ground to prevent runoff water from entering it. It contains a funnel and a measuring cylinder.

Rain gauge

Funnel
It directs rain water into the measuring cylinder.

Measuring cylinder
Measures the amount of rainfall received in an area.
Rainfall is measured in millimeters (mm).

Sunshine recorder
Records the number of hours of sunshine in a day.
It also measures the sunshine intensity of sunshine.
Terms related to weather and climate
Meteorology: Is the study of the weather.
Meteorologist: Is a person who studies weather conditions.
Climatology: Is the study of the climate.
Climatologist: Is a person who studies the climate.

Activity 7.9
1. What is temperature?
2. State the difference between heat and temperature.
3. Name any one type of thermometer.
4. Which liquids are used in a thermometer?
5. Name the instruments, kept in a Stevenson Screen.
6. If the wind is blowing in a western direction, in which direction should the wind vane face?
7. Why is it advisable for a wind vane to be placed in an open flat area?
8. Why is a Stevenson Screen painted white?

7.8 Seasons in our province
There are four seasons in our province. There are two wet seasons and two dry seasons.
• Short rainy season (Umuhindo)
In this season, frequent and heavy rains are experienced. This season lasts from September to December.
• Short dry season (Urugaryi)
This season starts from December until early February. Rain decreases and finally disappears.
• Long rainy season (Itumba)
This season lasts from February to May. Rainfall is heavy and may
continue for many hours. Floods are common in this season.
• Long dry season (Icyi)
This season is from June to August. In most cases light cloud covers the sky. The climate of Rwanda is almost the same throughout the country.

Factors which influence the climate of an area
• Altitude: Altitude is the height of a place above sea level.
• Nature and vegetation: The vegetation cover of an area can change its climate.
• Human activities: Many human activities, like cutting down trees,
bush burning and industrialisation, can affect the climate of an area.
• Distance from waterbodies: Places near waterbodies receive heavier rainfall compared with places far from the waterbodies.
• Prevailing winds: These winds help to move warm, moist air and form clouds.

7.9 Effects of weather and climate on people’s activities
The weather and climate do not always remain the same. They have a favourable as well as an unfavourable effect on human activities.

Favourable effects
• Appropriate weather and climate conditions favour farming.
• Winds help boats to sail farout of to sea for fishing.
• Pleasant weather and a favourable climate support tourism.
• Lots of sunshine helps to dry clothes.
• Weather and climate help to ripen crops for harvest.

Negative effects
a) Extreme weather and climatic conditions restrict people’s daily activities.
b) Heavy rains cause floods. The ground becomes muddy and vehicles may get stuck.
c) Too hot or too cold causes dehydration.
d) Agriculture is not possible in heavy rains.
e) Unfavourable weather and climate result in the spread of malaria and other diseases.

7.10 Revision exercise
1. Briefly explain the term climate.
2. Mention the four elements of the climate.
3. How is climate different from weather?
4. What is a meteorologist?
5. Match the items in A with those in B.
A B
i) Wind sock a) To measure the temperature
ii) Barometer b) To measure the amount of rainfall
iii) Thermometer c) To measure humidity
iv) Rain gauge d) To mreasure air pressure
v) Hygrometer e) To measure the speed of wind
6. How do people manage the following changes in their environment?
a) Strong wind
b) High temperatures
c) Very low temperatures
7. What is a forest?
8. Give three ways in which forests are useful to people in our province.
9. Give the meaning of the following terms:
i) Afforestation
ii) Deforestation
iii) Agro-forestry
iv) Re-afforestation
v) Swamps
vi) Lakes
10. What is environment?
11. Name any four examples of lakes found in Rwanda.
12. Suggest three ways in which lakes are important to people in our province.
13. How are swamps important to people in our province?
14. Name the two types of forest.
15. Give any two forests found in Rwanda.
16. How are mountains important in the environment?
17. Give four examples of man-made environments.
18. Name any three human activities that affect the environment.
19. Give three ways of conserving the environment.
20. Write the full form of REMA.
21. How do we protect ourselves from different types of weather?

Social and Religious Studies

General

UNIT 7:Environment and climate in our province

UNIT 7:Environment and climate in our province

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