Green Bodies demand ban on toxic pesticides in Maharashtra

Followed by the death of farmers due to pesticide poisoning in Maharashtra, a green body demanded ban on pesticides in the state and also insisted for a Pesticide Management Bill to stop the unsafe use of toxic pesticides.

According to the organisation, over 30 farmers have reportedly died and hundreds have become ill due to an infection caused by spraying of pesticides on the fields in several districts of Vidharba region in Maharashtra, since July this year.

Every year, there are about 10,000 reported cases of pesticide poisoning in India. In 2015, about 7,000 people died because of accidental intake of insecticides and pesticides.

In Maharashtra, pesticides such as Monocrotophos, Oxydemeton-methyl, Acephate and Profenophos are believed to be responsible for the deaths and illness. Pesticides like Monocrotophos and Oxydemeton-methyl are considered class I pesticides by the World Health Organization (WHO), which are further categorised into extremely hazardous and highly hazardous respectively. India still uses these pesticides which are banned in several countries. This mass death is because of the gross negligence in pesticide management in the country and it highlights the urgent need to fix several long-standing gaps in pesticide management in the country.

It has been said that this mass death is because of the gross negligence in pesticide management in the country and it highlights the urgent need to fix several long-standing gaps in pesticide management in the country.