Water consumption and pollution increases due to slaughter houses and the associated industry, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat said in Ujjain on Wednesday while appealing people to conserve water.
He was speaking at SuJalam, a conference on water conservation organised by the Deendayal Shodh Sansthan and Madhya Pradesh Jan Abhiyan Parishad.
"The killing of animals on a large scale increases water consumption. It is believed from scientific point of view that vegetarianism is good," he said.
But he also added that it takes time to change habits.
"Food habits cannot be imposed on anyone. People's mind changes slowly and they do change," Bhagwat said.
The RSS chief also noted that those who eat non-vegetarian food in India follow rules and desist from eating it during the Hindu month of Shravan and on Thursdays.
"A lot of water is used at slaughter houses and the associated industry and it also increases pollution," the RSS chief said.
"It is not any person's fault here....those who run the industry will accept it in the end when the meat (they produce) will not be consumed by anyone," he added.
Every person should bring down the consumption of water at the family's level, he said.
Old traditions of water conservation should be preserved, the RSS chief said, adding that water is an accumulated property of the Earth, available only in a limited quantity.
The use of fertilisers also affects the quality of water and farmers should resort to organic compost to avoid the import of fertilisers, he said.
Union Minister for Jalshakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also attended the program.
