Pristine Jainism

Author(s): S M Jain
Publisher: Parshwanath Vidyapith

Page 83

(80) : Pristine Jainism The indiscriminate use of poisonous pesticides have played havoc on useful insects and birds and residual pesticides in grains, fruits, a vegetables etc. are entering the human system also as slow poison, causing number of diseases including fatal cancer. The residual pesticides found in mothers' milk are many ( 10 to 20) times more than safe limits. Recent studies indicate that pesticide damage has gone to chromosome level and this should be a matter of serious concern because damage to chromosomes may vitiate genetic code with alarming consequences.
Exhaustive uses of water much more than replenishing rate in hightech agriculture and mushrooming industries have greatly depleted the underground water sources. The water tables are receding, going down fast in most areas and many areas it is dangerously low to 500-600 metres. During drought these sources almost run dry and there is an acute shortage of even drinking water, necessitating its transport from far off places by trains and truck-tankers. Not only that the shortage of water is increasing, it is getting more and more polluted by agricultural chemical fertilisers, pesticides, industrial affluents and human wastes. Most of the important even the big rivers on Gangā, Yamunā etc. are so polluted at many places that the water is not fit even for bathing and not at all for drinking. A huge amount of money is being spent on purifying the polluted water to make it potable.
Likewise air pollution has already reached intolerant limits and is increasing alarmingly from industrial and vehicular exhausts. In many cities people have to use masks while moving in cities and in highly populated cities have to inhale oxygen at regular intervals. Another insurmountable problem is disposal as waste being generated day in and day out by consumerist society. Many industrial and mining wastes are piling up and space for dumping is getting scarce. The fly ash from thermal power plants is enormous and in spite of its new-found use for bricks etc, there are few takers and it is piling up. There is no safe disposal technique for waste from atomic power plants evolved so far,