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ഈ പംക്തിക്ക് ഒപ്പുമരം എന്നു പേരിടുമ്പോള്‍ എന്‍ഡോസള്‍ ഫാന്റെ ആഗോള നിരോധനത്തിനായി കാസര്‍ക്കോട്ടുയര്‍ത്തിയ ഒപ്പുമരത്തിന്റെ ഓര്‍ മ്മ എനിക്ക് തുണയുണ്ട്. സാമൂഹ്യദ്രോഹികള്‍ വിഷം വെച്ച് കൊല്ലാന്‍ ശ്രമിച്ചിട്ടും അതിജീവിച്ച ഒരു മഞ്ഞ വാകമരമാണ് അന്ന് ഒപ്പുമരമാ യത്. അതിജീവനത്തിന്റെ കരുത്തുള്ള ആ പ്രതീകം അന്ന് നമുക്ക് എന്‍ഡോസള്‍ഫാന്റെ നിരോധനം കൊണ്ടുവന്നു തന്നു. ഒരേ സമയം നമ്മുടെ പ്രതിരോധത്തിന്റെ കയ്യൊപ്പും എന്‍ഡോ സള്‍ഫാന്‍ ഇരകളുടെ വേദനകള്‍ ഒപ്പിയെടുക്കുന്ന ആര്‍ജ്ജവവും ഒപ്പുമരവും ആവാഹിച്ചു. പിന്നീട് കാസര്‍ക്കോട്ടെ എത്രയോ സമരങ്ങള്‍ ഒപ്പുമരച്ചുവട്ടില്‍ അരങ്ങേറി.

Tuesday, 30 May 2017

The killer pesticide can't be exonerated

Article published in The Economic Times

Dated: 29-4-2011

The people of Kasargod, Kerala, are living proof of why endosulfan should be banned. Here, endosulfan was sprayed for 22 years at a stretch in cashew plantations. There was popular protest as early as 1992 when the effects of the pesticide were first noticed. In 1998, an employee in the agricultural department filed a case against this pesticide and endosulfan was temporarily banned after a court order.

But the Indian Pesticide Act doesn't give provision for a permanent ban. Therefore, the high court decided to leave the final decision to an expert committee appointed by the central government. An expert committee headed by Sharad Pawar was constituted.

In 2002 at the direction of the NHRC, NIOH under the ICMR, Hyderabad, conducted an epidemiological survey in an affected area. It was found that endosulfan was the cause of genetic problems among people. Two significant findings of the study were: "There is significant higher prevalence of neuro-behavioural disorders, congenital malformations in female subjects and abnormalities related to male reproductive system in the study group...the most probable cause for the health problems in the study area could be relatively high and continued exposure to endosulfan...

The possibility of endocrine disrupting effect of endosulfan observed in the study has great relevance to the health of future generations. Considering the potentiality of grave consequence the Principle 13 of the Rio declaration of the Earth Summit should be followed. This relates to the precautionary principle and emphasises that lack of scientific certainty is no reason to postpone action to avoid potentially serious or irreversible harm to the environment."

But it was another report prepared at the behest of the Plantation Corporation that was submitted to the committee. The committee led by Pawar submitted the concocted report and endosulfan was exonerated. This was in 2003. Now the PM and the environment minister are soliciting yet another ICMR study and the earlier NIOH report was underhandedly shelved. This is a bid to delay the ban and help the Endosulfan lobby.

Endosulfan is banned in 81 countries. According to the Kerala government, there are 7,200 severely affected people, with over 25,000 people suffering the effects of this pesticide in other ways.