Environmental Health Impacts Of Pesticides In Punjab

KHETI VIRASAT PUNJAB
Working Group on Environmental Health
Public Hearing on
Environmental Health impacts of pesticides in Bathinda
Organised by:
In collaboration with
KHETI VIRASAT PUNJAB
GREEN PEACE INDIA
on 18th July 2004 at Circuit House, Bathinda

Background
From last five years Kheti Virasat is working for the propagation of sustainable agriculture, conservation of natural resources and sensitizing the masses and particularly the physicians about the challenges of environmental health in Punjab. During its study on health impacts of pesticides Kheti Virasat came across the fact that cancer is prevailing in entire cotton belt of Punjab. It is observed that the Bathinda district is prime victim of adverse impacts of pesticides. Incidentally, the villages which were taken-up for observation falls under two blocks of district- Rampura Phul and Talwandi Sabo blocks. It was also noticed that due to intensive cotton cropping the pesticide consumption in Talwandi Sabo block is much higher from other blocks. Then Kheti Virasat starts gathering other details and information about health status of few villages of Talwandi Sabo block. The very primary information collected, was an eye- opener and indicates the grave situation of environmental health. It was very strongly felt that there is urgent need to do a detail epidemiological study in this block. In the mean time Green Peace India approached Kheti Virasat for a collaborative study on the impacts of pesticides on children’s mental health and development as the part of its nation wide multi-centric study in six states. These states were Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnatka, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu and Punjab. Kheti Virasat team done extensive field work for study and analysis the effect of pesticides on the development of children during the cotton growing season of April to December, 2003. Three villages namely Mahi Nangal,Jajjal and Bangi Nihal Singh Wala with maximum use of pesticides in the Punjab were selected from Talwandi Sabo block of Bathinda district. Random sampling was done and a total of 150 children,75 each of age group 4-5 years and 9-13 years were selected. Similarly, four villages namely - Surewal, Gambhirpur, Dher and Midwan from Anandpur Sahib block of Ropar district with minimum use of pesticides in the state were selected as Reference or Control group.
Through various physical and psychological tests, memory tests and in mental ability test it was found that more than twice number of children were able to do these tests successfully in the control area as compared to study area viz. Talwandi Sabo block of Bathinda. Similarly for memory test only 28.2% children belonging to more exposed area fared successfully while this percentage raised to 52.2 for control area. Asthma, Skin Allergies, Stomach Infections, Cancers, Hypertension Problem, Kidney problem, Arthritis and Nerves Disorders were much more in exposed area. Cases of mentally retarded children, Genetically abnormalities and Childless Couples were shocking in number, while no such incident was met in control area.
Many women from this highly pesticide infested area had been referred to infertility treatment centers before they conceive. Incident of miscarriage was 8.45 % in study area and 4.3 % in control area, of stillbirth 3.1 % in study area and 1.8 % in control area neonatal deaths with % age of 6.2 in study area and 4.5 in control area with respect of total studied females.
The sprayers interviewed for their health status during spraying reason showed symptoms experienced as excessive sweating (85.6%), Nausea (78.3%), Blurred vision (75.5%), excessive salivation (57.3%), Under Muscarinic that is muscular cramps and Sleeplessness (60.6 %), Dizziness (58.9 %), Headaches (56.4%) etc. under Central Nervous System manifestations as the highest reported symptoms. 10 cases of hospitalization were reported from September and October of 2003 Cotton cultivation season here, 2 cases of death were also reported from the earlier years. Despite it the most common symptoms were nail dropping and discoloration in100 % of the sprayers.
The results of Punjab part of this study were first released at Amritsar on 17th March in a Seminar on Environmental Health Challenges to Punjab organised by Kheti Virasat under Sarbbat Vikas Uttsav. Then the detailed report of all six states was published by Green Peace India in April 2004 as ARRESTED DEVLOPMENT. A very small amount of pesticides gained in early childhood a effects the overall development of the child and gives rise to many defects leading to lose of memory and concentration.
In this study the area with in 80 km. of the cotton belt region of Punjab with Bathinda as center was taken in to consideration. It was analyses that the farmers who inhaled large quantities of pesticides during their usage were facing many health problems. It was noticed by researchers that amnesia, cancer, miscarriages, still births, infertility were some serious defects suffered by the people in the studied area. The over-all picture emerged from the study is very much disappointing and terrible. It seems that Punjab is sitting on time bomb of environmental health ,so a series of steps should be taken-up immediately to build -up a strong civic movement to take up the issue of environmental health.
Taking in to consideration the grievances faced by the people and the sufferings of the ailing villagers and to take -up this issue at larger forum Kheti Virasat and Green Peace India has jointly organized a Public-Hearing on ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS OF PESTICIDES on 18 July 2004 at Bathinda .


The Public Hearing

People from the worst effected villages of TALWANDI SABO and RAMPURA PHUL block has participated in the Public-Hearing and submitted their submission and narrated their state of suffering and illness before the bench. These villages were - JAJJAL,MAHI NAGAL,BANGI NIHAL SINGH WALA, GAYANA, RAMANWAS, NANDGARH, HARKISHAN PURA and MANDI KHURD. Apart from these villages two farmers growing organic cotton in villages of MEHTA and RAI KE KALAN were also invited to tell their experiences in organic farming.

The Panel
The Panel constituted for Public Hearing consisting Eminent lawyer of environmental issues Shri Sanjay Parikh ,Advocate Supreme court of India, New Delhi ;Shri Davinder Sharma Agriculture expert and Trade policy analyst, New Delhi; Dr.G.P.I Singh, HoD, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dayanand Medical Collage &Hospital, Ludhiana and Dr.Ashiesh Tayal, Scientific Advisor Green Peace India.

The Participants & Experts

Several eminent personalities belonging to different spheres of life including farmers, farmers leaders, teachers, government officials, scientists, agriculture experts, physicians, journalists and researchers participated in this public hearing. Apart from this several other dignitaries were also present there ,this includes Dr.G.S.Deol, HoD, Department of Entomology, PAU, Ludhiana, Dr.Ashok Dhawan, Dr.A.S.Sohi, Dr.K.S.Brar (All from PAU);Dr.Charanjit Singh ,Environmental Scientist, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Patiala ; Dr. Mahesh Singla , Field Investigator ,Censer study project,P.G.I Chandigarh,Dr.Manoj Kumar, Dr.Anil Gautam, Sh.Rajesh Paul(All from PGI Chandigarh) , Dr.Rakesh Sehgal, President, an NGO CARD, young Punjabi poets Anil Prabhaker and Rajiv Chopra, Miss Thangma Munappa, Jai Krishna from Green Peace India and Dr. Savtantar Singh HoD, Computer Department ,Regional Center-Punjabi University ,Bathinda. Several students and researchers studying subjects of environment and Human biology also participated.
Sarpanchs, panchs and prominent persons from eight worst effected villages also participated in the Public Hearing.

The Panel gives the following recommendations:

1. A thorough medical study of all affected areas in the cotton belt is urgently required. The facts presented before the commission are strongly indicative that the children and adults have suffered because of the excessive use of pesticides. The medical treatment of those who are already suffering and medical check up regularly of those who were likely to be affected is immediately required. A special medical center to manage affected cases as well as carry out follow up and research should be set up immediately in the Bthinda district. Though this has happened because of unethical dumping of a cocktail of pesticides, even the banned ones by the companies, the primary responsibility of the state being to protect the life and health of the people, the state should carry out all the obligations towards the medical care and recover from companies the damage caused to the peoples’ health and environment on the basis of the “polluter pays principle”.
2. the excessive use of pesicides has affected the ground water as well as other drinking water resources. There is urgent need to supply pure drinking water in the affected areas. The state should either make provisions of supply through tankers or by drawing water from the nearby places through pipelines. The panel has been informed that by scientific process of the reverse osmosis the contaminants of groundwater can be removed and the water can be used for drinking purposes. If this is technically feasible, after the proper study within three months, this project should be started.
3. official data indicates that pesticides consumption of cotton is 545 of the total pesticide consumption in the country. It was also brought out that availability and use of spurious pesticides is also contributing to the excessive use of pesticides as this leads to non effective sprays from the farmer’s point of view. It also is known to lead to progressive resistance in the concerned pests. This consumption should have gone down even it the government could have followed the policy of integrated pest management (IPM). The same has not been done effectively so far. Adequate number of government agencies do not exist to educate the farmers and to introduce the rational use of pesticides and those which exist are either non effective or defunct. In the absence of any control by the government, the pesticide companies and traders continue with their false claims and propaganda about use of their brands for getting better yield. They also sell adulterated and even banned pesticides. They misguide the farmers in prompting them to use the cocktail of pesicides for better protection of their crops. All this requires an urgent attention of the government and total control of the situation, which if not taken care of now will result in permanent damage to the land in the cotton belt and the human health including the health of future generations.

The panel is therefore making the following suggestions for implementation,

a) The whole cotton belt should be declared as a toxic hotspot requiring special treatment. To begin with the state government should set up government agencies in this area to educate farmers about good agricultural practices and the minimum use of pesticides and the methodology to use it with least harm to human beings and the environment. The pesticides which are to be banned and which ought to be used, keeping in view the present condition should not be allowed to be sold to farmers of the cotton belt. If any company is found to be selling or inducing the farmers to buy such brands, they should be penalized. The commission has been informed that the ministry of agriculture is introducing strict punishment for the offenders who are found selling banned/restricted pesticides by amending the insecticides act 1968. The ministry of agriculture is requested to bring this amendment into force at the earliest in the public interest. Punishment should be imposed not for selling banned/restricted pesticides but also spurious pesticides. In addition to that the state government should introduce stringent law, prescribing minimum provision for imprisonment, particularly in the cotton belt where the companies and the people are found violating it. These companies should also be made liable for any damage done to the environment and human health on the basis of the “polluter pays principle”.
b) Information about the banned or restricted use pesticides of pesticide formulations, along with the authentic rate list should be punished from time to time by the government in the local vernacular language. It should be mandatorily displayed in shops and pesticides retail outlets, Panchayat offices and other prominent places.
c) Simultaneously the state government, with the help of NGOs like Kheti Virasat and others should introduce the practice of organic farming. This can be started from a small segment of the cotton belt and gradually spread to other areas. The farmers have to be shown that that the false notion attached to the use of pesticides has to be discarded and the organic way of farming which is the only way of sustainable agriculture has to be adopted.
d) The commission has been informed that the package of practices released annually by Punjab agriculture university, is followed by the state agriculre department as well as the progressive farmers. The commission requests the university to come out with a special package of practices for the cotton belt that lays stress on sustainable and low input cotton production aimed at gradually minimizing use of pesticides and switching over to organic cultivation. Th university should also suggest the quality of seed to be used by the farmers in the cotton belt, so that sub-standard seeds and their use resulting in more of pesticides could be avoided. Those who sell sub standard seeds should be prosecuted through sustainable amendments in law.
e) The commission also recommends the special package of compensation of three years to the farmers of the cotton belt which assures them against any financial loss should be provided during the process of switching over from the use of pesticides to organic farming.
f) For remediation and removal of the adverse effects of pesticides in the cotton belt, the government should constitute an expert body to do an in depth study and come out with a plan for implementation for decontaminating the area within the time frame. The commission requests the state government to constitute this expert body urgently.
g) A special health insurance scheme for the farmers and farm workers should be introduced in the cotton belt area.
4. The commission is of the firm view that the extremely hazardous class la pesticides should be immediately banned and class 1b be gradually phased out in a realistic time frame (list enclosed).
The situation is alarming and if urgent action is not taken now it would become irreversible from both angles i.e environment as well as human health.