Fasting to Death to Save the River Ganges
The River Ganges is provides spiritual and physical sustenance for 400 million people. Raw sewage and industrial waste contaminate the river at every city along its banks (fecal contamination is thousands of times above the safe limit for bathing). The glaciers that feed the river are melting due to global warming, and dam/hydro-electric projects are altering the upper reaches of the river to feed India’s massive demand for energy. Dr.G.D.Agrawal, India’s pre-eminent environmental Scientist, will “fast-unto-death” for the conservation of River Bhagirathi/Ganga. Dr Agrawal explained his decision in a letter to close friends:
As you are aware, R. Bhagirathi Ganga has a very special place in Indian culture, thought and tradition. In the past few years, however, the continuity, quantity, quality and regime of flows are being disrupted for generation of hydro-electricity like all other rivers. Already in the reach downstream of Maneri, long stretches of Bhagirathi remain waterless for long periods. In the near future this may become the state of the entire river. As a serious student of environment sciences and as a faithful Hindu, this is hard for me to swallow. I strongly believe that at least Bhagirathi upstream of Uttarkashi should be spared of any works that disturb its natural flow-regime, ecology, purity or piety and, after brooding over it for several months, I have decided to oppose such works with all the might I have……. So after deep deliberation I have decided to “fast-unto-death” to oppose the destruction of this ecological marvel and the epitome of Hindu cultural faith.
Image: jonrawlinson on flickr under a Creative Commons license
[...] Fasting to Death to Save the River Ganges [...]