Until now, endosulfan was the scourge of Dakshina Kannada. Now, even as a debate rages over a ban on this chemical Pesticide, fresh cases are surfacing in Uttara Kannada district. At least 10 cases have emerged in Bhatkal. Many organizations are demanding case studies to check whether the people of Belke, Gorate, Yalvadikavur and other villages in Bhatkal have been affected by the excessive use of endosulfan. The use of this Pesticide...

Representatives from 127 governments have agreed to add endosulfan to the United Nations' list of persistent organic pollutants to be eliminated worldwide. The action puts the widely-used Pesticide on track for elimination from the global market by 2012. The decision was among more than 30 measures taken by Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants to strengthen global action against POPs at their meeting in Geneva last week. The...

Endosulfan has started exacting its toll not only in killing the foetus but also in aborting marriage proposals. Parents of brides and grooms insist on blood tests before the marriage to ensure that prospective grooms do not carry endosulfan residues in their blood. A marriage proposal for a girl in Enmakaje grama panchayat from the parents of a groom in Mangalore was aborted as the bride’s party was not prepared to...

Blame the poor enforcement of the Integrated Pest Management policy for the toxins in your salad Here is a scary story about Pesticides from an enterprising farmer. Subramaniam Kannaiyan — from Thalavady village in Erode, Tamil Nadu — blogs about his experiences with Pesticides with respect to a single vegetable, cabbage. Small and marginal farmers with less than two hectares of land are cultivating cabbages on about 3,000 acres here. According to...

In India you have quality standards specifications for soft drinks, but none for potable water. The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, under the Ministry of Rural Development, is now seeking to correct the record, and, thankfully, the exercise will cover urban habitations too. The department has found the current legal environment for enforcing and regulating drinking water standards very weak in the country as they focus on issues related to...