Small stories,big health lessons (episode eight)

<h3>It's just trash.....</h3> It was the last period when Mr Okoro entered the classroom. The entire class was littered with papers and biscuit nylons."Why is your class this dirty? How are you able to stay in such an environment?"The class remained silent."Anyways I think our topic today will teach you how to maintain a clean environment.""Bring out your PHE notebooks. Our topic today is POLLUTION. Who can define pollution for us?"A few hands went up."Yes,Amina. Tell us what pollution is.""Pollution means adding harmful substances to the environment which has serious effects on our health.""Very good. A sound clap.""Now who can tell me the different types of pollution we have?"More hands went up."Amara,please tell us.""We have four types of pollution,namely: water pollution,air pollution, noise pollution and land pollution.""Please clap for her". Mr Okoro smiled."So you guys know these and you're living in such a class...."The class went on. Mr Okoro mentioned the different forms of pollution and how they affect the environment.He started with water pollution.They talked about sewage,refuse and other substances that getting into rivers,streams and other water sources. They learnt that polluted water could become unsafe and contribute to illnesses such as cholera, dysentery and other diarrhoeal diseases.Then air pollution.Smoke from burning refuse, exhaust fumes, dust and other pollutants could affect the quality of the air we breathe and cause or worsen respiratory issues. Next was land pollution.Improper waste disposal could contaminate the soil, attract flies and rodents, block drainage and make the environment unsafe. Finally, they talked about noise pollution.Excessive noise from generators, vehicles and machinery could interfere with sleep and concentration, while prolonged exposure to very loud sounds could damage hearing.Mr Okoro even joked that the noise they always make is also a form of noise pollution. The closing bell rang.Simbi quickly packed her books and left with her friends.They had barely gone past the school gate when Amina stopped.“Wait. Look over there."They all looked.There was a huge pile of rubbish beside the road.Plastic bottles. Nylon bags. Food wrappers. Old cartons.Simbi stared at it.“That's land pollution.” They all laughed.But as they continued walking, they began noticing things they had always walked past. The gutter was filled with plastic bottles and nylon.“So that's why it always gets blocked.” They passed a man burning refuse.“Indiscriminate burning....air pollution.”Amara murmured as all of them coughed along. Then the loud sound of a generator came from a shop nearby. “Noise pollution.” They laughed again. But this time, they were looking at their surroundings differently. Nothing had changed. But something in them had. The next morning, Simbi went to Mr Okoro. “Sir, why do people still pollute the environment when they know it's harmful?” Mr Okoro looked up.“That is a very good question.” He explained that sometimes people genuinely lacked awareness, sometimes proper waste-disposal facilities were unavailable, and sometimes people simply became used to bad habits because everyone around them did the same thing. “So what can we do about it?” she asked.“Start with what you can control,” he said. “Dispose off waste properly. Keep your surroundings clean. Don't throw rubbish into gutters or water sources. And educate others...... And keep your class clean too”. He added as a matter of factly. That afternoon, Simbi saw uncle Kola with a bag of rubbish. “Uncle Kola, where are you taking that?”He pointed towards the roadside dump. “Where else am I going to take it?”“But Uncle Kola…” He laughed. “Oh here she goes again.”“Uncle K!!” “I am sure you're here with all your "let me tell you what l learnt about this today" again.” “It's not like that. We learnt about pollution yesterday.” She smiled She explained what they had been taught and pointed towards the dump. Uncle Kola listened attentively. Then he asked, “So where should I put it?” Simbi paused. She hadn't thought of that. “I don't know yet. But I'll find out.” “Okay. But for now,ik throwing it there before the flies start getting much.”Simbi sighed. Simbi and her friends started learning more about proper waste disposal. They talked to the younger children around them, teaching them not to throw rubbish into gutters or water sources and explaining why burning refuse could pollute the air. They couldn't clean up the whole town. But they could start with what was around them. The pile of rubbish that had always been “just trash” had taught Simbi something she wouldn't forget. Our environment is part of our health. The air we breathe, the water we use, the land we live on and the surroundings we interact with. Keeping our environment clean will not prevent every illness, but it is one of the simplest things we can do to create healthier communities. So the next time you see a refuse dump, a blocked gutter or someone burning rubbish, don't just walk past it. Look again. It is more than just trash. 🌿 Until next time, stay healthy and stay curious.

Small Stories,Big Health Lessons

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