Public Facilities Extra Questions Chapter 9 Class 8 Civics
You will find Chapter 9 Public Facilities Class 8 Civics Extra Questions on this page that will help you in knowing the important points given in the chapter and prepare for the exam in a better wat. Extra Questions for Class 8 will give good experience and provide opportunities to learn new things.
Chapter 9 Public Facilities Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs):
1. Why is safe drinking water necessary for all?
Answer
Safe drinking water can prevent many water related\ diseases such as diarrhoea cause untimely death of several Indians.
2. What is meant by 'public facilities'?
Answer
Things like water, healthcare, sanitation, electricity, public transport, schools and colleges are essential facilities that need to be provided for everyone. These are known as public facilities.
3. What are the basic needs of human beings?
Answer
Food, water, shelter, sanitation, healthcare and education are necessary for survival and are known as basic needs of human beings.
4. Why do the residents of Subramanian’s Apartments in Mylapore use borewell water in their toilets for washing?
Answer
It is because borewell water is brackish.
5. What is the position of water availability in the slum area where Padma lives?
Answer
For 30 hutments there is a common tap at one corner, in which water comes from a borewell for 20 minutes twice daily.
6. What does Right to Water mean?
Answer
It means that it is the right of every person, whether rich or poor, to have sufficient amounts of water to fulfil his/her daily needs at a price that he/she can afford.
7. How can deaths due to diarrhoea and dysentery be prevented?
Answer
By making safe drinking water accessible to all.
8. How do private companies supply drinking companies supply drinking water to city people?
Answer
Private companies supply drinking water to city people in sealed bottles.
9. Write one important characteristic of a public facility.
Answer
Once it is provided, its benefits can be shared by many people.
10. Who is responsible to ensure public facilities to everyone?
Answer
This is the responsibility of the government to ensure public facilities to everyone.
Chapter 9 Public Facilities Short Answer Questions (SAQs):
1. What does the Constitution of India say about the Right to Water?
Answer
The Constitution of India recognises the right to water as being a part of the Right to Life under Article 21. This means that it is the right of every person, whether rich or poor, to have sufficient amounts of water to fulfil his/ her daily needs at a price that he/she can afford.
2. How can you say that there are great inequalities in water use?
Answer
It is a fact that there are great inequalities in water use. The supply of water per person in an urban area in India should be about 135 litres (about seven buckets) per day. It is a standard set by the Urban Water Commission. But people living in slum areas have to do with less than 20 litres (one bucket) a day per person. At the same time people living in luxury hotels may consume as much as 1,600 litres (80 buckets) of water per day.
3. 'The benefits of a public facility can be shared by many people'. Explain the examples.
Answer
The important characteristic of a public facility is that once it is provided, its benefits can be shared by many people. For instance, a school in the village wall enable many children to get educated. Similarly, the supply of electricity to an area can be useful for many people.
4. What do you mean by the term 'sanitation'? Why essential? Who are the people lacking access to it?
Answer
Sanitation mean provision of facilities for the safe disposal of human urine and faeces. This is done by construction of toilets and pipes to carry the sewerage and treatment of waste water. This is necessary so as to avoid contamination. Extremely poor people are lacking access to sanitation.
5. Some people are of the opinion that private companies should be allowed to take over the task of water supply. Why do they opine so?
Answer
Some people opine that since the government is unable to supply the amount of water that is needed and many of the municipal water departments are running at a loss, they should allow private companies to take over the task of water supply. According to them, private companies can perform better.
6. In some parts of the country water supply has been improved. Explain giving examples of Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai.
Answer
Mumbai. The water supply department in Mumbai raises enough money through water charges to cover its expenses on supplying water. In Hyderabad, a recent report shows that the department has increased coverage and improved performance in revenue collection.
In Chennai, the department has taken several initiatives for harvesting rainwater to increase the level of ground water. It has also used the services of private companies for transporting and distributing water.
7. Write a short note on “Water a part of fundamental Right to Life”.
Answer
• The constitution of India recognized the right to water as being right to life as a part under article 21.
• This means that it is the right of every person, whether rich or poor to have sufficient amount of water to fulfill daily needs at a price they can afford.
• There should be “Universal access” to water.
8. What do you think can be done to conserve water and improve its supply?
Answer
• Wise and judicious use of water is the most important step to conserve water.
• Several initiatives for rainwater harvesting to improve ground water level needs to be taken.
• It also requires the use of services of private companies for transporting and distributing water to ensure regular supply.
• Every citizen of the country has the right to all the facility provided by the government in an equitable manner.
Chapter 9 Public Facilities Long Answer Questions (LAQs):
1. Discuss the role of the government in regard to public facilities.
Answer
Public facilities are associated with our basic needs. Our Constitution recognises many of the public facilities as being a part of the Right to Life. Therefore, the government must see that these rights are protected so that everyone can lead a decent life. But its efforts are not successful to some extent. There is a shortage in supply and there are inequalities in distribution. Metros and large cities are not in very bad condition but towns and villages are underprovided. In comparison to wealthy localities, the poorer localities are underserviced.
The government is expected to take steps in order to make all the public facilities accessible to everyone. So far we are concerned, we must cooperate with the government.
2. Why should the government bear the responsibility to provide public facilities to everyone?
Answer
If private companies are given the responsibility to provide public facilities such as water, they will charge more. In such a situation only some people can afford to buy water. Thus, even though private companies are providing the facility of water, but this facility is not available to all at an affordable rate. If we go by the rule that people will get as much as they can pay for them many people who cannot afford to pay for such facilities will be deprived of the opportunity to live a decent life. Obviously, this is not a desirable option. Public facilities relate to our basic needs. The Right to Life that the Constitution guarantees is for all person living in this country. Therefore, it should be the government’s responsibility to provide public facilities to all.
3. Do you think water is available in Chennai and affordable by all? Discuss.
Answer
• Water supply in Chennai is marked by shortages.
• Municipal supply meets only about half the needs of the people of the city, on an average.
• There are areas which get more water regularly than others. Those areas that are areas that are close to the storage points get more water whereas colonies further away receive less water.
• Apart from the availability of water access to ‘safe’ drinking water is also available to some and this depends on what one can afford.
• The burden of shortfalls in water supply falls mostly on the poor.
•The middle class, when faced with water shortages are able to cope through a variety of private means such as digging bore wells, burying water from tankers and using bottled water for drinking.