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COMMENTARY

Endosulfan: Centre in Denial cashew plantations. In 2003, the Kerala


High Court upheld the order of the lower
court and it ordered a permanent end to
endosulfan spraying. The Government of
Leela Solomon Kerala was therefore forced to impose a
ban on the use of endosulfan in 2004. This

F
It has been more than a dozen or reasons that only the Govern- was welcome relief for the people of
years since health professionals ment of India knows, it continues to Kasargod. Consequently, the Government
oppose a ban on endosulfan, the of India banned the sale and use of endo-
in north Kerala started noticing
pesticide that is known to have caused im- sulfan in Kerala from 2005 onwards.2 But
unusual health disorders in mense suffering in north Kerala. fresh reports of endosulfan victims in the
the tracts where there had At the sixth meeting of the Persistent state point to the i­neffective implementa-
been aerial spraying of the O­rganic Pollutants (POp) Review Committee tion of the ban.
to the Stockholm Convention held in G­eneva
pesticide endosulfan on cashew NHRC Recommendations
in October, India rejected the proposal to
plantations. Surveys, studies ban endosulfan globally. This should be a With the Government of India hesitant
and countless media reports cause for concern, especially with new cases about banning endosulfan, human rights
have brought out the burden of of health disorders, allegedly due to endo- organisations have been compelled to
sulfan exposure, having been reported not take up the issue. The National Human
endosulfan. The Government of
just from Kasargod, but also from other ar- Rights Commission’s (NHRC) core group
Kerala has even banned the sale eas like Idukki and Palakkad in Kerala and on health, in its meeting on 24 December
of the pesticide. But the use of Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka. 2010, reiterated that, “the present stand
endosulfan continues elsewhere The Stockholm Convention deals with of the Government of India has led and
chemicals which have a long-lasting impact will continue to lead to grave violations of
in the country, and India which
on the human body and soils. It already human rights. Since endosulfan is a per-
has become a major exporter of covers 12 chemicals, which can remain sistent organic pollutant, the dangers it
this pesticide, remains adamant i­ntact for long periods, bioaccumulate poses will linger and multiply through the
in its opposition to a global ban. through food and cause damage to health generations, causing harm on a scale that
and environment. Such pesticides are to be cannot presently be fully quantified”.
eliminated or are to be subject to restricted The NHRC’s concern dates back to 2001.
use. The Review Committee of POP evaluat- That year, after seeing reports on unusual
ed the possible risk of endosulfan and at its health symptoms in Kasargod district that
Geneva meeting recommended that the were seen as the effect of suspected long-
Conference of Parties consider listing en- term exposure to endosulfan (David 2001;
dosulfan in their new list of pesticides to Joshi 2001; and The Hindu (2001)), the
be phased out. It is already banned in commission had intervened in the matter
more than 70 countries. Since India is one and filed a writ petition as a public interest
of the largest manufacturers and exporters litigation in the Kerala High Court against
of endosulfan, it has naturally opposed the the use of endosulfan. Subsequently, the
proposal. More recently, it has opposed National Institute for Occu­pational Health
the proposal on procedural grounds.1 (NIOH) Ahmedabad, ­carried out a compre-
A nationwide ban in the country also hensive study on ­endosulfan use.
seems essential for statewide bans do not More recently, new cases of suspected
seem to help. In Kerala, the sale and use of additional victims of endosulfan have been
endosulfan has been banned since 2004, reported from Muthalamada panchayat of
and yet, the Pollution Control Board (PCB) Palakkad district. A district health survey in
of Kerala during its monitoring (2008-10) Muthalamada and Kollengode panchayats
revealed endosulfan residues in the water in Palakkad district showed more cases of
resources, including in the Shiriya river in hydrocephalus (Misra 2010). There have
Kasargod district. On the basis of this in- been reports of new victims of suspected
vestigation, in November 2010 the PCB endosulfan use from Idduki too.
banned endosulfan throughout the state. This suggests that despite the ban endo-
A tribute to my father, who inspired me to
Earlier, a victim, Leela Kumari Amma sulfan continues to be available. In some
think against pesticides. Thanks to my friends
Jayakumar, Vinod and Megha. a­pproached a lower court (Munsif Court, districts of Kerala, endosulfan is being
Hosdurg) in 2001 and the court temporar- transported to Idukki from Tamil Nadu,
Email: leela.solomon@gmail.com
ily stayed aerial spraying of endosulfan in where it is not as of now banned.
Economic & Political Weekly  EPW   february 19, 2011  vol xlvI no 8 21
COMMENTARY

In Karnataka, Kokkada, Patrame and sudden increase in the number of patients An Eye-Opening Study
Nidle villages in Belthangady taluk of having neurological developmental and The Centre for Science and Environment
Dakshina Kannada are reportedly the worst r­eproductive diseases in the village. He (cse), New Delhi released the results of
hit. Here endosulfan was in use till 2001 in informed the authorities and sent a letter its laboratory analysis of the samples col-
the plantations owned by the Karnataka to the Kerala Medical Journal in Dec­ember lected from Padre, including water, soil,
Cashew Development Corporation spread 1996 for the special attention of research- human milk, bovine milk, vegetables,
over 850 ha in Belthangady. A recent ers. People in the village started to sus- fish, etc. This analysis of 2001 disclosed
survey done by the government reportedly pect aerial spraying of endosulfan as this an alarming presence of endosulfan resi-
identified 231 people from Belthangady was the only discernible change they had dues in the selected samples and proved
and neighbouring Puttur taluk as possible experienced. They discussed the matter its link to the health hazards in Kasargod.
endosulfan victims (Misra 2011). with the village authorities and requested In its chapter on “Impacts of Endosulfan
Based on such fresh reports on endosul- an end to the spraying of endosulfan. A on Health – Scientific Evidence” it warned,
fan, NHRC conducted an investigation again coalition of public interest groups conduct- Short-term toxicity is high, and influenced
in November 2010 in Kasargod, which ed initial investigations and confirmed that by the solvents and emulsifiers used to dis-
confirmed the continued high incidence of a large number of ­diseases were occurring solve it. Endosulfan is easily absorbed by the
the medical disorders recorded by the in the villages, especially in the vicinity of stomach, by the lungs and through the skin,
meaning that all routes of exposure can pose
NIOH in 2002. And it also found that the cashew plan­tations, where endosulfan was
a hazard. Exposure to endosulfan may result
relief measures taken by the state govern- being aerially sprayed. from, for example, breathing air near where
ment were meagre and not reaching the Thanal, a non-governmental organisation, it has been sprayed; drinking water contam-
intended beneficiaries. Based on its find- conducted a house-to-house health survey inated with it; eating contaminated food;
ings, the NHRC recommended that the in Periya cashew plantation area from touching contaminated soil; smoking ciga-
rettes made from tobacco with endosulfan
­union government take administrative and October to December 1999 and observed
residues; or working in an industry where
legislative action to ban endosulfan. It has numerous cases of infertility among men, endosulfan is used. Proper protective cloth-
demanded a nationwide survey of popula- miscarriages and menstrual disorders ing (safety goggles, gloves, long sleeves, long
tions which have been affected by the use among women as well as swellings and pants, respirator) is needed to prevent poi-
of endosulfan, particularly sprayed from discolouration of the skin of the limbs soning when handling endosulfan (Down to
Earth 2001).3
the air, to determine the scope of relief apart from frequent attacks of fever. The
and rehabilitation that may be needed. Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) Many studies have since been conduct-
had undertaken an extensive survey of ed on health and toxicology in Padre and
Tragedy Seeded by Cashew houses within 500 metres of the planta- nearby panchayats. Most of the studies
Around 1963-64, the Kerala government tion and also covered 4,000 houses away found unusual health problems in those
brought cashew to Padre village in Kasargod from the plantation and found health dis- villages where cashew plantations had
district and planted cashew trees all over orders in 750 houses. Despite people’s conducted aerial spraying of endosulfan.
the wasteland in the area. In 1978, the protests, PCK continued aerial spraying. One of the most important studies was
Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK) took On 26 December 2000 people tried to conducted by the NIOH. The main objec-
over the control of these cashew planta- stop a helicopter from spraying but with tives of the study were (1) to confirm the
tions, covering around 4,600 hectares, the help of the police, PCK carried out its reported disease patterns in the exposed
spread over Periye, Muliyarand Adhur in operation. On that day people formed the populations; (2) to search for etiological
the Kasargod estate, Painikara, Kanady Endosulfan Spray Protest Action Com­ factors if the exposed populations show
and Punathur in the Rajapuram estate and mittee at Perla. abnormal disease patterns; (3) to confirm
Cheemani estate. In February 2001, in an interview with the presence of endosulfan residues in the
To prevent tea mosquitoes, which affect Down to Earth, Mohana Kumar revealed environmental and biological samples
trees during flushing, flowering and fruit the strange health disorders appearing in and estimate their levels. The final report
set, PCK started aerially spraying endo­ Padre over the previous 10 years: of NIOH, “The Investigation of Unusual
sulfan thrice a year for almost two dec- Disorders of the central nervous system are Illnesses Allegedly Produced by Endosul-
ades. With this continuous rain of poison, very common among the children of the area fan Exposure in Padre Village of Kasargod
everything changed in Padre. Initially, – cerebral palsy, retardation of mental and/ District (N Kerala)” which was completed
or physical growth, epilepsy and congenital
the villagers noticed dead fish and that in 2002, exposed a significant number of
anomalies like stag horn limbs. There are too
frogs, honeybees and butterflies all disap- many cases of cancer of the liver and blood;
neurobehavioural disorders, congenital
peared. Then their domestic animals died, infertility and undescended testis among malformations in women and abnormalities
calves were born with deformities and men; miscarriages and hormonal irregulari- related to the male reproductive system in
stunted growth. Children were born with ties among women; skin disorders; and asth- the study village, Padre. The study con-
ma, to name a few. Psychiatric problems and
deformities and miscarriages became cluded that the etiological factors respon-
suicidal tendencies have also been rising.
more common. Surprisingly, almost all the ailments are
sible for these health problems were due
Y S Mohana Kumar, who was a doctor restricted to people under 25 years of age to continuous exposures to endosulfan
practising in the area since 1982, noticed a (Joshi 2001). through food, soil and air.
22 february 19, 2011  vol xlvI no 8  EPW   Economic & Political Weekly
COMMENTARY

However, the central government was It, however, chose not to disclose the find- the regional research stations5 asking
not satisfied with NIOH study. Therefore, ing…. The institute underreported the levels them to stop recommending the use of en-
of residues found in the environment, too
an expert committee was appointed by dosulfan and to suggest other pesticides.
(Yadav 2004).
the Registration Committee of Central
­Insecticides Board in April 2002. It rub- In February 2001, the Kerala Agricul- Conclusions
bished the NIOH study and observed, “the ture University had conducted a study and Chemical pesticides have become a part of
findings of the NIOH study are not in con- submitted a report in favour of PCK and farming in India since the green revolu-
formity with the known and accepted had recommended only need-based spray- tion. With the growth of agrichemical in-
properties, chemistry and toxicology of ing. At the same time, the Kerala State dustries in India, farmers have come to
endosulfan” (cited in Yadav 2004). And in Council for Science, Technology and Envi- depend upon pesticides like endosulfan,
April 2003 it said that “there is no link ronment submitted its report saying which is cheap and easily available. Endo-
established between use of endosulfan sulfan is used mainly for cotton, cardamom,
….prima facie, aerial spraying of endosulfan
in PCK plantations and health problems seems to be the cause factor of unusual dis-
coffee, soy, mango, etc.
reported in Padre village” (GoI 2003). eases among the people of the area….. Con- A ban on endosulfan must deal with the
Meanwhile, a part of the NIOH study that sidering the potential danger and probable fact that Indian manufacturers have built
had been published in Environmental impact of aerial spraying of endosulfan in up a large domestic and export turnover.
the human inhabited area, as in the present
Health Perspectives (Saiyed et al 2003) For instance, three producers, Excel Crop
case, the committee recommended the gov-
was criticised for its alleged omissions ernment to ban aerial spraying of endosul-
Care, Coramandal Fertilisers and Hindus-
and flawed data by CropLife India fan, immediately. The role of endosulfan as tan Insecticides (members of the Crop
M­umbai and Endosulfan Manufacturers the exact cause factor is presently neither Care Federation of India) have a combined
and Formulations Welfare Association, denied nor proved beyond doubt in this area. annual production of Rs 9,000 crore.
Though spraying cf endosulfan is practised
Mumbai (EPH 2004). Seventy per cent of the global market is
in the area for more than 25 years, no envi-
In 2002, a Government of Kerala com- ronmental impact study is seen conducted.
believed to be held by India and estimates
mittee with experts from the public health Therefore, government may order a detailed are that the country produces 12 million
department and PCB carried out an in- environmental impact assessment study.4 litres of endosulfan and the country earns
depth study in Vaninagar and submitted Rs 4,500 crore annually (Business Line,
their report “Health Hazards of Aerial Man-made Calamity 25 January 2010).
Spraying of Endosulfan in Kasargod Dis- Most of the studies conducted in Kasargod The Crop Care Federation claims it has
trict” in August 2003. It showed a high emphasise that PCK had not followed any a strong manufacturing base along with
level of endosulfan residue in the exam- precautionary measures which had to be research and development and scientific
ined blood samples of school children. taken at the time of aerial spraying of an capabilities, but so far it has not taken the
This is an area surrounded by plantation insecticide. Spraying was done from a initiative to conduct a health assessment
hills. From the hills, rain water gets height to avoid power lines and tall trees of the impact of an indiscriminate use of
drained to the water sources in Vaninagar, which aided wind drift and the settling of endosulfan. It has, however, criticised the
where people depended entirely on these the endosulfan residues in the soil. Water studies carried out by CSE in Padre and
water sources. The study reached the con- sources were not covered properly at the even filed defamation cases twice against
clusion that the clustering of cases in time of spraying. Local people were igno- the organisation, both of which it has lost.6
Vaninagar could be the result of long-term rant about the consequences. With mounting pressure from different
exposure to the pesticide in soil, water Who had given permission for aerial levels of governmental departments as
and vegetations. spraying of endosulfan in Padre and nearby well as from the political groups and in-
But the PCK denied any role of endosul- villages, where geographically aerial dustrial lobbies, the Union Agriculture
fan in these health hazards. The PCK on its spraying was not suitable? Who gave per- Ministry constituted a new committee in
part had commissioned an investigation mission to continue aerial spraying thrice December 2010 to conduct a study on en-
which was carried out by the Frederick a year without considering the implica- dosulfan in Kasargod. The chairman of
­Institute of Plant Protection and Toxico­logy tions for health, even after the complaints this committee, D C Mayi, head of the
(FIPPAT is now known as International of local people for 20 years? Who instruct- Agricultural Scientists Recruitment Board,
Institute of Biotechnology and Toxicology ed them to use the same pesticide for had earlier submitted a report favourable to
(IIBAT)), Tamil Nadu. It was conducted one 20 years? No answers to these questions the endosulfan lobby in his study on Kasar-
month after the CSE study. But, blood sam- are forthcoming. Sometimes the PCB is god. This has naturally evoked protests in
ples of FIPpaT did not show any residue of blamed, the Kerala Agriculture University Kerala. However, more recently the Indian
endosulfan. Later, an article published in and Central Plantation Crops Research Council for Medical Research has decided
Down to Earth revealed how its observations Institute are the culprits. However, at least to ask the Calicut Medical College to in-
were fraudulent: some authorities were against the use of vestigate the problems in endosulfan-
… The report, submitted to the PCK, shows endosulfan. In March 2001, the director of affected areas. Two committees will be
that FIPPAT had actually detected endo- the National Research Centre for Cashew appointed for the purpose: one will evalu-
sulfan residues in human blood samples. (NRCC), E V V Bhaskara Rao, wrote to all ate the earlier studies and the second will
Economic & Political Weekly  EPW   february 19, 2011  vol xlvI no 8 23
COMMENTARY

evaluate the NIOH study. The ICMR is to only want that their children live in an References
prepare a report on the basis of the ­reports endosulfan-free environment. Business Line (2011): “India Says Trade Compulsions Forc-
ing Ban on Endosulfan”, Business Line, 25 January.
of these committees (Mathru­bhoomi, 25 David, Stephan (2001): “Spray of Misery”, India Today,
January 2011). Notes 23 July.
Down to Earth (2001): “Omnipresent Poison”, a special
Even as attention has been focused on 1 “India, which is opposed to such a ban, has alleged report published in Down to Earth, 28 February.
that the committee that is to take a decision on decla­
Kerala, in-depth health assessment stud- ring endosulfan a POP has committed ­irregu­l­a­rities
GoI (2003): “Minutes of the 233rd Meeting of the Reg-
istration Committee”, held on 1 April 2003, Ministry
ies have not been done in Maharashtra, and procedural lapses” (Business Line 2011). of Agriculture, Krishi Bhavan, New Delhi (http://
2 As mentioned in the website of Endosulfan Victims www.cibrc.nic.in/rc.htm).
Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra
Relief and Remedial Cell, Kasargod, http://endo- Joshi, Sopan (2001): “Children of Endosulfan”, Down
Pradesh, where endosulfan has been in sulphanvictims.org/initiative.htm to Earth, 28 February.
use for a long time. 3 As posted on the site of Endosulfan Victims Relief and Misra, Savvy Saumya (2010): “State of Endosulfan”,
Rehabilitation Cell website http://endosulphan- Down to Earth, 31 December.
Santhosh Menzes (as reported in Misra victims.org/resources/CSE_report.pdf. Originally – (2011): “Another Kasargod”, Down to Earth,
2011b) was paralysed when he was a year published in DTE 2001. 31 January.
4 STED Committee Report on the Suspected Saiyed, Habibullah, Aruna Dewan, Vijay Bhatnagar, Udya-
old; he is now 20 years old. When his moth- Spreading of Unusal Diseases in Enmakaje Grama var Shenoy, Rathika Shenoy, Hirehall Rajmohan, Ku-
er was pregnant with him, their village, Panchayat of Kasargod district), http://kerenvis. mud Patel, Rekha Kashyap, Pradip Kulkarni, Bagalur
nic.in/files/pubs/endosulfan/sted.html Rajan and Bhadabhai Lakkad (2003): “Effect of En-
Kokkade in Dakshin Kannada, was being 5 “NRCC Withdraws Recommendation of Endosul- dosulfan on Male Reproductive Development”, Envi-
subject to aerial spraying of endosulfan. fan for Cashew”, letters from National Research ronmental Health Perspectives, December; 111(16).
Centre for Cashew received by Aravinda Yeda­ The Hindu (2001): “Cashews for Human Life?”, 22 July.
Pregnant mothers of endosulfan-affected male, chairman of our Padre Endosulfan Spray Yadav, Kushal Pal Singh (2003): “International Journal
villages have only one prayer: let their Protest Action Committee: available at http:// Vindicates Endosulfan Study”, Down to Earth,
www.poptel.org.uk/panap/kerala/surat.htm 31 December.
children be born without any stag horn 6 (http://www.cseindia.org/content/endosulfan- – (2004); “Lies, Damn Lies and Endosulfan”, Down
limbs or any disabilities whatsoever. They poisoning-padre-village-industrys-dirty-tactics-0) to Earth, 15 April.

On Ending the War policy of military suppression. Of these


136 districts, 101 have been notified as

against Our Own People “disturbed areas” where the AFSPA and
state-level Disturbed Areas Act, either
separately or concurrently, operate. In 35
districts, where the so-called joint forces
Gautam Navlakha operations against “Left-Wing Extremists”
are underway, neither of these Acts is

I
Ten years of Irom Sharmila’s n order to understand the significance ­invoked and yet the war continues. (Of
heroic fast and more than four of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) course, in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Orissa,
Act (AFSPA) and our response to it, we Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra
decades of struggle against the
must comprehend the role of the armed and West Bengal, there could be some
Armed Forces (Special Powers) forces of the Indian union in wars of sup- other state-level Act in operation which
Act, 1958 should convince us that pression. It is my contention that our op- indemnifies the forces). However, for all
the time has come to demand position to AFSPA is not only because it practical purposes, the ground reality is
protects the Armed Forces of the Union no different in these 35 districts spread
an end to war against our own
(the AFU, which is how the Indian Consti- over nine states and the 101 districts
people as the most principled and tution defines army, navy, air force and where AFSPA is notified.
realistic stance. the central paramilitary forces) but also The second thing to note is that the cen-
because  we, in the civil liberties and tral government has set aside Rs 40,000
demo­cratic rights groups, oppose the poli- crore  for “internal security” (which falls
cy of military suppression of our own peo- under the Union Ministry of Home Af-
ple in the first place. Indeed, it is the Indi- fairs), i  e, for wars in these districts, where
an state’s policy of military suppression of nearly 80% of the central paramilitary
its own people that necessitates protection forces (CPMFs, whose strength is 9,00,000
from prosecution of the military forces plus 145 battalions of the India Reserve
d­eployed to carry out the dirty task of bru- Battalion or 1,50,000 personnel) and half
tally restoring the State’s authority, which, of the Indian Army (3,37,000 in Jammu
in turn, legitimises counter-violence. and Kashmir, and 2,80,000 in the north-
east) is engaged in counter-insurgency.
Repealing AFSPA: Background Were we to add this Rs 40,000 crore allo-
Gautam Navlakha (gnavlakha@gmail.com) is Out of 626 districts in India, no less than cated towards “internal security” to what
a member of the People’s Union for Democratic 136 districts, with a population in excess the Union Ministry of Defence spends on
Rights, Delhi.
of 150 million people, witness the State’s “internal security” (taking merely wages
24 february 19, 2011  vol xlvI no 8  EPW   Economic & Political Weekly

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