Kahani Dharti Ki

The year 2008 was declared as the year of Planet Earth. During this year various agencies all over the world were
involved in preparing materials and undertaking campaigns to sensitize the threats and challenges faced by our
mother earth. This 26 part video serial is an attempt to present various facets of Planet Earth in a lucid form for
Indian audience.
Covering range of topics such as physical and geological aspects, ecosystems, human impact n environment, the
serial presents succinctly our understanding of the world we live in as well as the various threats and challenges that
besiege us.

The topics and themes covered in the serial are:-

Episode Topic Theme

1 The Earth: - Origins

Our Home Planet - From crust to core
- Formation of Oceans,
Continents, Atmosphere
- Origins of Life
- Lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere – definitions and their
interdependence

2 Life on Earth - Evolution of life on Earth began 4.2 billion years ago
- Evidence of algae producing making Earth’s atmosphere oxygen rich 2.7
billion years ago
- A brief description of evolution of life on Earth from pre-Cambrian to
neogene period

3 The World of Plants - Different species of flora in different geographical conditions : Tropical,
high latitudes, mountainous, domesticated plants etc

4 The World of Animals - Different species of fauna in different geographical conditions : Tropical,
high latitudes, mountainous etc
- Domesticated and wild animals

5 The Food Chain and Food Webs
- The interdependence of animals and plants
- Photosynthesis and CO2 cycle
- Food Chain : how one organism depends on another for its energy
requirements and existence
- Microbes and their importance
- Food chain imperative for equilibrium among the living species
Episode Topic Theme

6 Forests: Himalayan Region, NE - What are forests?

and Himachal, Vindhyas,
Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka,
Orissa, Saurashtra, and other
regions
- How these differ from each other
- Flora and Fauna
- Asiatic Lion, one- horned rhino, tiger
- Our vanishing wildlife

7 Importance and Uses of Forests
- Importance of forests: socially, economically and ecologically
- Forests help in soil formation and prevent soil erosion
- Help in Carbon sequestering
- Maintain water table
- Shifting cultivation and their effects
- Medicinal plants

8 Human beings – The Dominant - Humans and agriculture

species - Human migration & migration patterns
- How human beings came to be the dominant species
- How human beings can and do disturb the delicate ecological balance

9 Soil and agricultural lands
- Soil is the living skin of the Earth
- Interaction between soil, biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and
atmosphere
- Soils are integral to climate, water cycle, waste and nutrient cycles
and erosion
- Dominant soils of India

10 Agriculture - Soil management: fertilizer, drainage, irrigation, pesticides

- Significance of Water
- Green Revolution: its success and failure
- Production, Storage and Distribution
- Water could become hazard or resource
- We need “second” Green revolution: How could it br made possible?
- GM varieties

11 River Systems - Major River Systems of India (Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra,

Godavari, Cauveri)
- How major civilizations developed in the river valleys
- Over-extraction of water
- Dams and how they change ecology, cause displacement of people
 - Pollution of rivers
- Ganga, Yamuna, Damodar, Periyar action plans

Episode Topic Theme

12 Ground Water - Ground water: How does it get into ground?

- Used for irrigation and drinking purposes
- Over-extraction and precariously falling water table
- How ground water gets polluted, F an As contamination
- Recharging aquifers

13 Our Coastlines - about 21 per cent of human population lives within 30 kms of coast
line
- coral reefs
- Western coastline (Arabian Sea) and Eastern Coast (Bay of Bengal)
- Variety of Sea life
- Sea food / Fishing
- Shipping and trade
- Oil and natural gas (Bombay High)
- Floods, Cyclones, Tsunami

14 Mangroves - A delicate coastal ecosystem

- Can withstand higher salinity
- Rich in biodiversity
- resist inflow of sea water during cyclones, tsunami
- Sundarbans, Tamilnadu coast
15 Islands: Threatened - An independent ecosystem
Ecosystems - Andaman and Nicobar Islands and its flora and fauna
- Laccadive Islands

16 Wetlands - Important for water conservation

- Rich in biodiversity, birds, reptiles, and vegetation
- migratory birds
- Keoladeo, Nal Sarovar buzz with birds
- Fresh Water Lake systems: their importance
Ex. Dal, Loktak, Bara Pani
- Brackish Water lake system: Chilka and its unique ecosystem

17 Mountains and Mountain Ranges - Rich in biodiversity and natural resources

- Flora and fauna that adapts to higher altitudes
- Orography affects climatic pattern
- Sources of rivers
- medicinal plants
- Himalayan Range, Western Ghats and Aravali range

Episode Topic Theme

18 Deserts - Deserts Definition: How were they formed

- Well known deserts of the world (Sahara, Kalahari, Thar desert, Rann
of Kachchh)
- Desert (hot): Their ecology, vegetation, and animals. Camel – a hardy
desert animal
- Desert (cold) Ex. Laddakh

19 The Seas and the Continents - Seas, Pangaea and formation of continents
- Tectonic Plates and their movements
- Tropics and high latitudes
- Formation of mountains
- Indian Plate and the formation of the Himalayas
20 The Oceans – Water, water - Plate tectonics and the formation of various oceans
everywhere - The four ‘main’ oceans with info on area, deepest point, weather and
…..almost! ‘claim to fame’
- Ridges and margins
- Eruptions on the sea-floor and its importance to life
- principal resources obtained constitute hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and
hydrates

21 Weather and Climate - Wind cycle, sea and land breezes

- Water cycle and Rain
- Wettest and driest places (deserts)
- Climate in Tropics and high latitudes
- Indian monsoon system
- Black current, gulf stream, El Nino and La Nina

22 Natural Hazards - Earthquakes as a result of plate tectonics

- Floods, cyclones, Tsunamis, Forest fires, Volcanoes and Land-slides
- Prediction of earthquakes and tsunamis difficult

23 Environment and Health - Environmental causes of health problems

- Major diseases (malaria, TB etc)
- Relation between rocks, minerals and human health
- Direct links between geology and health are provided by the food
chain and inhalation of atmospheric dusts and gases
- Soils, sediments and water, F and As in water

Episode Topic Theme

24 Energy Resources - Non-renewable energy resources (coal, natural gas, petroleum, nuclear
fuels)
- Renewable energy resources (solar energy, wood, hydro, biofuels etc)
25 Global Warming and Climate - Climate change on geological time scales
Change - Development through industrialization powered by fossil fuel
- Global warming a result of burning of fossil fuel and increase in
GHGs
- Melting of Arctic / Antarctic ice, melting glaciers
- Rise in sea levels, change in climatic pattern

26 Tomorrow’s Challenges - Megacities and pressure on resources (food, water, clothing, energy,
housing, transport, sanitation, health etc)
- Conservation of natural resources
- Reduction of Greenhouse gases
- development of renewable sources of energy: solar energy, ethanol,
bio-fuels etc.
- Remote Sensing for natural resources management (forest cover,
mineral resources, agriculture, water bodies, pollution), and monitoring
weather
- People’s science movements for conservation of resources