The Supreme Court's order to compensate endosulfan victims within three months is a welcome move, but India still needs to strengthen its pesticide management system to avoid a similar crisis in the future.
IN FEBRUARY 2001, Down To Earth broke the story on endosulfan poisoning in Padre village in Kasargod, Kerala. Due to two decades of aerial spraying of the pesticide, diseases such as cerebral palsy, mental and/or physical retardation, epilepsy, congenital anomalies, liver and blood cancer, infertility, and asthma had become unusually common among the residents of Kasargod. Apart from the effects on the community, the pesticide also affected the local ecology—bees, frogs and fish disappeared from the area. The Pollution Monitoring Laboratory of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit, provided evidence that all these were linked to the spraying of the pesticide. A bitter fight ensued between the community and the pesticide industry (see ‘End of endosulfan’, p16), which eventually led to the banning of the pesticide by the Supreme Court (SC), in 2011. And on January 10, 2017, the SC directed the Kerala government to release the entire compensation, ₹5 lakh to each of the over 4,000 victims, within three months.
Denne historien er fra February 01, 2017-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra February 01, 2017-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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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
