According to the information received from Karnataka Cashew development Corporation(KCDC), apart from Mangalore division aerial spray of Endosulfan has taken place in three more division i.e.Udupi , Kundapura and Kumta divisions. KCDC has provided a list of 24 villages of Udupi, 50 villages of Kundapura and 29 vilages of Moodabidri taluks where the pesticide was sprayed for 20 years. Several children with symptoms similar to that of endosulfan toxicity have been found. Only after the completion of proposed survey we can ascertain the exact position.
District Administration of Udupi has already set up various committees to assess the damage caused by endosulfan in Udupi District. Recently officials of Revenue, Forest and Education Depts. organised training programme at Kundapura for the anganawadi teachers, PDOs and village accountants for the proposed survey.
A citizens committee has been formed under the leadership of Sri Sathyanarayana Udupa, a local advocate to assist district administration in its efforts to tackle the issue. Bharatiya Kisana Sangha, Namma Bhoomi, Organic Farmers Association and NSS unit of Bhandarkars college, Kundapura have expressed their support to the committee
The citizens committee has decided to conduct Awareness Programmes in all the 50 villages of Kundapura taluk. Six such meetings were held during the last week.
Even though we have received some information from KCDC about Uttara Kannada district, it is not very clear. All that we know is that endosulfan was sprayed in hundreds of villages of Honnavara, Kumta, Ankola and Karwar taluks for nearly 20 years. Most of the cashew gardens are in the deep forests. Reaching these areas it self would be a great task. We have authentic information that several mentally retarded and physically abnormal children are found in these areas too.
It is very difficult to get the detailed information from Govt. agencies like KCDC. Whenever we ask for some information they vaguely answer. For example, when we ask for the total amount of the pesticides used in each cashew gardens, they send us xerox copies of bunches of purchase invoices of endosulfan and several pages of stock register. It is high time that officials of KCDC realize their responsibility and provide us the exact information sought by us without wasting any more time. That will help us to come to meaningful conclusions and take necessary steps to help victims of endosulfan.
Recently, the Supreme Court-appointed joint experts committee (JEC) on endosulfan has recommended that “to exhaust the available stocks of raw material, and use of endosulfan may be permitted for a total period of two years”. We are not in agreement with this recommendation. Endosulfan should not be allowed to be used for two more years as recommended by the said committee just to help the manufacturers to exhaust their stocks as the damage it will cause to the human beings is enormous when compared to the loss that the manufacturer may suffer because of ban on its use. The good of the society must always prevail over that of a handful of manufacturers. For the last several years, the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, have been claiming that endosulfan is a safe pesticide. Now being a signatory to the Stockholm Convention and Rotterdam Convention India is committed to discontinue the use of endosulfan. With this it is clear that the Govt. has also agreed that the molecule is highly toxic and a persistent organic pollutant. If so, how can the Government allow its use even for a day?
It is relevant to note that the Expert committee has also said that “disposal of existing stocks of endosulfan in existing incinerators may take long duration due to the limited capacity and the cost of disposal would be exorbitant to the tune of Rs.1189 crores”
This is not true. Chemical degradation is not the only way. The scientists working on detoxification of endosulfan have developed biological methods. Such methods are useful in soil environments also. We have been in constant touch with the scientific developments in this regard.
Some farmers ask us to suggest alternative pesticide in place of endosulfan. An ideal pesticide is the one which selectively kills the pests without harming the human beings and other higher animals. We do not have any pesticide which satisfies this definition. The same expert committee appointed by Supreme Court while justifying the use of endosulfan said “Other pesticides which are in use also show somewhat similar health/biological effects as with endosulfan”. Therefore going back to the traditional methods of pest control such as using neem leaves and organic farming is the only solution for this problem.
Biological control of pest is the best alternative to the chemical pesticides. For example scientists from our horticulture department have developed several species of worms to control red headed caterpillar, a pest destroying coconut trees in coastal Karnataka and Kerala. This has been proved safe, effective and cheaper than using chemical pesticides such as monochrotophose.
District Administration of Udupi has already set up various committees to assess the damage caused by endosulfan in Udupi District. Recently officials of Revenue, Forest and Education Depts. organised training programme at Kundapura for the anganawadi teachers, PDOs and village accountants for the proposed survey.
A citizens committee has been formed under the leadership of Sri Sathyanarayana Udupa, a local advocate to assist district administration in its efforts to tackle the issue. Bharatiya Kisana Sangha, Namma Bhoomi, Organic Farmers Association and NSS unit of Bhandarkars college, Kundapura have expressed their support to the committee
The citizens committee has decided to conduct Awareness Programmes in all the 50 villages of Kundapura taluk. Six such meetings were held during the last week.
Even though we have received some information from KCDC about Uttara Kannada district, it is not very clear. All that we know is that endosulfan was sprayed in hundreds of villages of Honnavara, Kumta, Ankola and Karwar taluks for nearly 20 years. Most of the cashew gardens are in the deep forests. Reaching these areas it self would be a great task. We have authentic information that several mentally retarded and physically abnormal children are found in these areas too.
It is very difficult to get the detailed information from Govt. agencies like KCDC. Whenever we ask for some information they vaguely answer. For example, when we ask for the total amount of the pesticides used in each cashew gardens, they send us xerox copies of bunches of purchase invoices of endosulfan and several pages of stock register. It is high time that officials of KCDC realize their responsibility and provide us the exact information sought by us without wasting any more time. That will help us to come to meaningful conclusions and take necessary steps to help victims of endosulfan.
Recently, the Supreme Court-appointed joint experts committee (JEC) on endosulfan has recommended that “to exhaust the available stocks of raw material, and use of endosulfan may be permitted for a total period of two years”. We are not in agreement with this recommendation. Endosulfan should not be allowed to be used for two more years as recommended by the said committee just to help the manufacturers to exhaust their stocks as the damage it will cause to the human beings is enormous when compared to the loss that the manufacturer may suffer because of ban on its use. The good of the society must always prevail over that of a handful of manufacturers. For the last several years, the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, have been claiming that endosulfan is a safe pesticide. Now being a signatory to the Stockholm Convention and Rotterdam Convention India is committed to discontinue the use of endosulfan. With this it is clear that the Govt. has also agreed that the molecule is highly toxic and a persistent organic pollutant. If so, how can the Government allow its use even for a day?
It is relevant to note that the Expert committee has also said that “disposal of existing stocks of endosulfan in existing incinerators may take long duration due to the limited capacity and the cost of disposal would be exorbitant to the tune of Rs.1189 crores”
This is not true. Chemical degradation is not the only way. The scientists working on detoxification of endosulfan have developed biological methods. Such methods are useful in soil environments also. We have been in constant touch with the scientific developments in this regard.
Some farmers ask us to suggest alternative pesticide in place of endosulfan. An ideal pesticide is the one which selectively kills the pests without harming the human beings and other higher animals. We do not have any pesticide which satisfies this definition. The same expert committee appointed by Supreme Court while justifying the use of endosulfan said “Other pesticides which are in use also show somewhat similar health/biological effects as with endosulfan”. Therefore going back to the traditional methods of pest control such as using neem leaves and organic farming is the only solution for this problem.
Biological control of pest is the best alternative to the chemical pesticides. For example scientists from our horticulture department have developed several species of worms to control red headed caterpillar, a pest destroying coconut trees in coastal Karnataka and Kerala. This has been proved safe, effective and cheaper than using chemical pesticides such as monochrotophose.
