Collateral damage
Down To Earth|December 16, 2020
India’s latest plan to save its vultures from dying due to drugs used on cattle offers little hope
VIVEK GUPTA
Collateral damage

AFTER A gap of almost 15 years, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) has released the second National Vulture Conservation Action Plan (2020-25). Yet the report continues to grapple with the same question that prompted India’s first-ever vulture conservation plan in 2006: how to stop the use of a medicine that wiped out almost the entire vulture population in the country. The most common vultures— oriental white-backed, long-billed, and slender-billed declined by more than 96 per cent in a decade (1993-2003), says the latest action plan.

In 2004, bird experts established that diclofenac, a non-steroidal drug given to cattle to treat inflammation, was behind the population crash. When a vulture consumed a cattle carcass with traces of diclofenac, it developed gout and almost immediately died of kidney failure.

In 2006, on the recommendation of the first conservation plan, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) banned the veterinary use of diclofenac. In 2015, it restricted the vial size of diclofenac formulation for humans to 3 ml to check its use by the veterinarian, who need much higher dosage for treating cattle. It was also made a schedule H drug (under the Drug and Cosmetics Act 1940), which means it cannot be sold without a doctor’s prescription.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM DOWN TO EARTHView all
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Down To Earth

A SPRIG TO CARE FOR

Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits

time-read
3 mins  |
November 01, 2024
DIGGING A DISASTER
Down To Earth

DIGGING A DISASTER

Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 01, 2024
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Down To Earth

REVIEW THE TREATMENT

Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient

time-read
3 mins  |
November 01, 2024
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
Down To Earth

MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE

As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production

time-read
4 mins  |
November 01, 2024
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Down To Earth

Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?

Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag

time-read
4 mins  |
November 01, 2024
TROUBLED WOODS
Down To Earth

TROUBLED WOODS

Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 01, 2024
BLINDING GLOW
Down To Earth

BLINDING GLOW

The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 01, 2024
GROUND REALITY
Down To Earth

GROUND REALITY

What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?

time-read
6 mins  |
November 01, 2024
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
Down To Earth

GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC

On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.

time-read
6 mins  |
November 01, 2024
Vinchurni's Gandhi
Down To Earth

Vinchurni's Gandhi

A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara

time-read
2 mins  |
November 01, 2024