8. Health Hazards

Application of heavy doses of insecticides, pesticides, and chemical fertilisers are health hazards. The application of these poisons on vegetables, fruits and grasses are health hazards. The Indian Council of Medical Research established that traces of lead, zinc and copper are found in the milk and vegetables on which the fertilisers, insecticides, and pesticides are sprayed.

The recurrence of malaria in irrigated tracts of arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan and Punjab is the result of heavy irrigation and water-logged tracts along the canal which have become the breeding grounds for mosquitoes (Fig. 9.19).