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.
Denne historien er fra December 16, 2020-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 16, 2020-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
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
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
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
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.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
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.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
