The Supreme Court has asked the Centre to submit a disposal plan for the raw material used to manufacture endosulfan, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene (HCCP), an organochlorine compound. It is used in several pesticides. The Supreme Court had given an interim order  to ban the use, manufacture, sale and export of endosulfan on May 13 last year. Exports were allowed in September and December last year. The April 23 order came after the Pesticides...

-The Indian Express   The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed export of unused stock of endosulfan insecticide, while retaining the complete ban imposed by it on its production, sale and use within the country. While allowing the export, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia said the “dilution, packaging and export” of the agrochemical will be handled by public sector unit (PSU) Hindustan Insecticide Ltd. The Bench also said its previous...

-The Telegraph   The mass mortality of fish in the Karala river has blown the lid off a toxic secret: poison is used to kill some of the catch that makes its way to several homes in Bengal. In the face of raids by officials to seize dead fish in Jalpaiguri, some fishermen today admitted that they use a pesticide called Thiodan to kill fish that are eventually sold in the markets. Lab tests...

FAO to give suggestions on the pesticide to committee on persistent organic pollutants An ad hoc working group has been established to review and identify the information gaps on alternatives to endosulfan and to assess these alternatives. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will be roped in to undertake studies on integrated pest management alternatives to endosulfan. This was decided by the seventh Persistent Organic Pollutant Review Committee (POPRC) of the Stockholm...

In report submitted to the Supreme Court The Joint Expert Committee on ‘endosulfan,' in its report submitted to the Supreme Court, has said that the manufacturers have export orders for 1,734 mt of ‘endosulfan technical' and 292.5 kl of ‘formulation,' which can be allowed for export. The court, in its order on August 8, had asked the committee, under the Indian Council of Medical Research, to address the court on four issues...