To the north of Kerala, there is a District named Kasaragod, inwhich there's a village named Enmakaje which was affected by a deadly pesticides called "
ENDOSULFAN", which is produced by the Govt owned '
Hindustan Insecticides Limited'. It caused a lot of health problems, killing a lot of people and making children born with defects.
Examples are:
History: A local NGO Thanal investigated the chronic poisoning of entire villages due to aerial spraying of endosulfan over cashew plantations and villages adjoining them in the Kasargod district of Kerala. People in these villages suffered from an unusually high incidence of cerebral palsy and other central nervous system disorders, congenital neurological disorders, body deformations, cancers, reproductive disorders, miscarriages, and endocrine disruption. Endosulfan residues measured in cow milk and flesh in Kasaragod district were over 100 times the permissible level. The investigation by Thanal established links of these diseases and deformities to the spraying of endosulfan in the area. With the support of PAN AP, Thanal campaigned successfully for a ban on endosulfan in the area. The entire state of Kerala banned endosulfan in 2002.
So, what is the story now?
Hindu Newspaper tells that "
THE Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India has urged the Kerala Government to immediately lift the temporary ban on the use of endosulfan in the State in view of the findings of the expert committee in this regard. Addressing a press conference, the Association President, Mr Pradeep P. Dave said the expert committee, constituted by the Government to study the cause of health problems due to aerial spraying endosulfan over the cashew plantations of Plantation Corporation of Kerala in Kasargode district, had found that there was no direct evidence to attribute health problems to people living in the area due to endosulfan.
The committee in its report had also suggested pesticide rotation to reduce development of pest resistance. Mr Dave pointed out that the world over, agricultural scientists did not recommend application of a single insecticide again and again on the same crop for control of same pest. The term pesticide rotation therefore referred to application of a variety of pesticides in succession at suggested levels, he said.
The expert committee, however, banned aerial spraying of endosulfan in the area considering the hilly terrain and had also recommended appointment of a multi-disciplinary expert team to study the real cause of health problems reported from the cashew plantations in Padre Village, Mr Dave added.
Mr S. Ganesan, member of the association, said the pesticide industry had always held its strong belief that recommended use of endosulfan posed no health hazards to human beings and the expert committee report vindicated the pesticide industry's consistent stand. The association would continue to co-ordinate with Government authorities and regulatory agencies in all their efforts to ensure safe and correct use of pesticides, he added.
It may be recalled that the State Government had imposed a temporary ban on use of endosulfan in the State following protests from environmental groups in Padre village in Kasargod district"
So the Govt is about to lift the ban of Endosulfan. Is there anyone want to help on this?
WE NEED TO STOP KILLING PEOPLE
