Farmers and families turn up at the hearing at Warangal, Andhra Pradesh.
In Punjab, the center of the cotton belt (with a circumference
of about 80 km) lies in Bathinda. The study here was conducted in
collaboration with Kheti Virasat, and like in the other states,
results from Punjab revealed that pesticides-exposed children had
significantly impaired mental developmental abilities. In the
cotton belt of Punjab, health problems such as cancer, anaemia,
infertility, foetal malformations among the farming community were
also noticed during the course of this study.
The public hearing was organized to create a platform to hear
from the affected farming community and to get the experts in the
area to discuss how to minimize, and eventually put an end to, the
pesticides menace.
The panel of experts who were present for the public hearing at
Bathinda were:
Mr. Devinder Sharma - Trade and Policy analyst
Mr. Sanjay Parikh - Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India
Dr. G.P.I. Singh - Professor and Head, Dept. of Community and
Preventive Medicine, Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana
Dr. Ashesh Tayal - Scientific Advisor, Greenpeace India.
The panel listened to the testimonies of farmers and Sarpanches
from various affected villages, and to experts who stepped forward
to present their views on the subject.
Thangamma Monnappa, Sustainable Agriculture Campaigner,
Greenpeace shared the findings of the report "Arrested Development"
with the gathering.
The panel then asked members of the farming communities what the
industries and the state government has done to help them; in
particular, whether they have been provided medical treatment
and/or monetary compensation.
In response to the various opinions and testimonies heard at this public hearing, the Commission made the following recommendations, released as the Interim Report of the People's Commission:
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 excessive use of pesticides. The medical
treatment of those who are already suffering and medical check up
regularly of those who are 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 Bathinda 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
the companies the damage caused to the peoples' health and
environment on the basis of the "polluter pays principle."
2. The excessive use of pesticides has affected the groundwater
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 or supply through tankers or by drawing
water from the nearby places through pipelines. The panel has been
informed that by scientific process of 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 54% 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 if 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 pesticides 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 this 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 the human beings
and the environment. The pesticides which are to be banned and
which ought not to be used, keeping in view the present condition
should not be allowed to be sold to the 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 only 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
or pesticide formulations, along with the authentic rate list
should be published from time to time by the government in the
local vernacular language. It should be mandatorily displayed in
shops and pesticide 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 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 Agricultural University, is
followed by the state agriculture 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. The 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 pesticide of
pesticide could be avoided. Those who sell substandard seeds should
be prosecuted through suitable 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 Class1a pesticides should be immediately banned and Class
1b be gradually phased out in a realistic timeframe (List
enclosed).
5. The situation is alarming and if urgent action is not taken
now it will become irreversible from both angles i.e., environment
as well as human health.
For further information, please contact:
+919845437337