The story of a chemical disaster

The endosulfan tragedy in Kasargod, Kerala

Enormous increases in agricultural productivity can be associated with the use of chemicals. Chemicals have greatly improved crop production through the use of fertilizers, pesticides, etc and also livestock production. There is, however, a dark side to this picture and it is important to balance the benefits of agricultural chemicals against their environmental impacts, which sometimes are seriously disadvantageous.

Chemical pesticides have become part of our agriculture since 1960s. Farmers have been exposed to toxic pesticides like DDT and endrin since then. Actually the use of pesticides was not requested by farmers, rather government officials coerced them to start using them. Farmers say that it was very difficult to stay in the field while pesticides were being sprayed and many times pesticide sprayers had met with problems, even death. Snakes, frogs, birds and fishes etc have died in large numbers.

The present generation of pesticides is not very effective and farmers have to use more and more quantities, because some of the pests are building resistance to these chemicals. The cost of cultivation is increasing day by day.

Agricultural research institutes in the country have been carrying out pesticide residual studies and from every laboratory, very high levels of pesticides like quinalphos, monocrotophos, DDT. BHC, lindane, endosulfan etc have been detected in vegetables, milk, water and edible oil .

However, everybody are blaming the farmer for this. They say that every problem caused by pesticide is because of overuse and misuse by farmers. Yet, nobody bothers to look at history and how farmers have been forced to use pesticides through subsidies and threats. The farmer has become an instrument for corporate profits and at the same time a victim of pesticides and grudge of policy makers and consumers.

Before using any chemical in agriculture, its effect on humans and the ecosystem has to be studied deeply, especially if the chemical is toxic. For example, use of pesticides without proper research can harm humans and other beings in addition to killing the pests. Improper use of certain fertilizers can damage the soil quality, pollute water sources, etc.

The endosulfan tragedy in Kasargod district of Kerala (and also in several other parts of the world) is a result of lack of proper studies conducted before implementing new methods.

It is also criticised to be a deliberate and cruel action by the rich and powerful to increase their income without the slightest concern to the health and well being of the poor people.

It is also a case where the government officials have become the slaves of pesticide manufacturers and have acted with irresponsibility and cruelty, and has brought shame to India even in international discussions.

History and Background

Kasargod is the northernmost district in the state of Kerala. The cashew

plantations owned by the Plantation Corporation of Kerala (PCK), a public sector undertaking under the state government extends to about 4600 ha all over the district, spreading through habitations, water bodies and hills in about 15 villages.

PCK has been aerially spraying the plantations with the chemical pesticide

Endosulfan since 1976, on a trial basis and from 1978 till 2001 regularly three

times every year. The aerial spraying of Endosulfan was undertaken to contain the menace of the tea mosquito bug.

Many people say that this was an experiment done by a government owned corporation and pesticide companies. This experiment was to use endosulfan for increasing the production of cashew nuts for export to earn more foreign exchange.

As early as 1979, stunted growth and deformed limbs were noticed among new born calves and the farmers attributed it to the ill effects of endosulfan spraying. From 1994 onwards the community living near the plantations had been complaining against the spraying and by 1998, health disorders of very serious nature among the human population came to the limelight. Children were found to be the worst affected with congenital anomalies, mental retardation, physical deformities, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, hydrocephalus etc. Men and women were also affected with various chronic ailments, many irreversible and difficult to treat.

Since then the struggle of the local people have been going on in the Courts, in the corridors of power and academics and in the streets. The struggle got wide support from many within and outside the country, including all the political parties.

In 2001, following public outcry and the intervention from the lower courts, endosulfan spraying was temporarily stopped and later in 2003, it was permanently stopped following the directions of the Kerala High Court.

The struggle in Kasargod became a start for many initiatives on pesticide restriction in India and in other countries as well. Many more studies started revealing the hazards of pesticide use and its impact on the food, water and beverages.

The efforts of organisations like the Centre for Science and Environment, Greenpeace, Thanal, Kheti Virasat, Community Health Cell, Toxic Link and many other groups, scientists and activists exposed harmful effects of pesticides unleashed in forty years of green and intensive agriculture revolution in the country.

Also the interplay between the government pesticide regulation machinery run by agriculture scientists in the Ministry of Agriculture, both in the state and the central governments, and the pesticide industry whose target was to sell more and more poisons in the false claim of increasing crop productivity was exposed.

The complaints by the affected communities were arrogantly attacked by the agriculture scientists of the country and they attempted to topple the true studies by public health experts.

The pesticide industry is manipulating policies and institutions at will. The plant protection policy of the Government of India is under the control of the pesticide industry even though plant protection does not necessarily mean usage of chemical pesticides. These companies are able to manipulate agriculture research in this country and use the extension machinery to expand their business and even influence the policy of the financial institutions and thus continue their profit making.

Globally, more and more countries have started reviewing the use of endosulfan and other persistent chemicals and in the coming years more countries are expected to ban / restrict the chemical.

While all this was happening, it has been highly disturbing to see the Indian Government, led mainly by its bureaucracy, especially its agricultural scientists and officials in the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), the ministry of Agriculture and Co-operation ( MoAC), the Central Insecticides Bureau (CIB) and the Pesticide Registration Committee(RC), ready to do anything to prove that endosulfan has nothing to do with the health disorders in Kasargod.

The Mayee Committee appointed by the Central Government under public pressure refused to acknowledge the link between endosulfan and the health disorders, which all the medical teams appointed to study the issue had proven. However, probably fearing angry opposition from the political leadership and public in Kerala, Mayee suggested that the endosulfan ban may continue in Kerala, but it need not be banned in India. If endosulfan is dangerous in Kerala, it has to be the same elsewhere. It was a very stupid and irresponsible remark.

In 1991, the Central Insecticides Bureau had appointed a committee to review the continuing use of some of the pesticides. The list had endosulfan also. The committee had recommended that “the Registration Committee should not allow the use of endosulfan near rivers, lakes, sea and ponds, which are expected to be polluted”. The committee also recommended putting this in the certificate of registration as a condition and a warning on the labels and leaflets in the containers. These recommendations were never implemented.

The above-mentioned restrictions were important, considering the ecology of Kasargod. It is a land full of small ponds, rivulets, streams, wells and water harvesting systems such as surangas and tanks in almost all homes. One can be sure that no aerial spraying would be possible without contaminating these water bodies. Had these recommendations been implemented in 1991, the misery that the people of Kasargod now suffer could have been avoided to some extent. But the vested interest and callousness of a few scientists, officials and the huge chemical pesticide industry prevailed over the possibility of saving the lives of thousands of villagers.

She faced the consequences for raising her voice against use of endosulfan

Leelakumari Amma battled the plantation corporation to the high court in 2000 and played a key role in having endosulfan banned in Kerala.

Employed as an agronomist by the agricultural department of her local panchayat, she observed an abnormal amount of illnesses in the community, which triggered her suspicion of chemical poisoning.

"People had to walk through these fields that had been sprayed as there was no transportation. Children walked through the fields. There were no butterflies; there were no birds; so it was concrete evidence for my suspicions."

She filed a petition after her numerous letters of concern to the plantation corporation were ignored. Leelakumari claims she was harassed by the management of the plantation corporation at her home.

She also received anonymous derogatory letters and death threats. The decision for a ban was reached on October 18, 2000, and put into practice by 2002.

A year to the day of the victory, she was struck by a truck in a head-on collision that has left her with long term injuries. She suspects foul play.

He believes the plantation corporation violated human rights

Dr Kumar, an activist associated with Pesticide Action Network, accuses the plantation corporation of harassment and false allegations that had 'vested interests'.

According to studies published in 2002 by the National Institute of Occupational Health, a lethal concentration of endosulfan residue was found in human blood samples.

The samples were taken from Padre village where Dr Kumar's medical practice resides; fuelling a debate among scientists over the authenticity of the data.

Dr Kumar attributes the alarming number of chronic conditions within the local population to be directly linked with the geography of Padre village, which is nestled in a bowl-shaped valley and surrounded by hills covered in cashew plantations.

"Many small streams run through the village. They originate in the plantations." He believes the plantation corporation violated human rights by not protecting water sources when aerially spraying the pesticide.

The plantation corporation knew it was a dangerous chemical'

Achuthan Manniyeni, a former employee of the plantation corporation, agrees with Dr Kumar's accusation. He claims corners were cut by not following proper health and safety protocol for the employees, communities and environment.

"During the first year of spraying, many fish and chicken died, so the plantation corporation knew it was a dangerous chemical."

Achuthan was one of the six employees who prepared the pesticide for spraying in his area. The concrete mixing tub was located in a cashew field several meters from one of the district's water basins, which was not covered properly during the aerial spraying.

It was also common practice to dump empty endosulfan cans in a nearby well. Gloves, soap and towel provisions were not supplied to the employees according to Achuthan, who suspects that the management instead pocketed the allowance.

Furthermore, he claims endosulfan stock was freely handed to local farmers after the ban was imposed on Kerala, and that one of his colleagues was contracted to bury containers on a nearby mountain in order to get rid of excessive stock.

The exact location is unknown as all of his five colleagues have since died from symptoms associated with endosulfan poisoning.

'My prayer is that this should never happen again'

"My greatest difficulty is not being able to leave my daughter unattended," says Sreeja, a mother of two young daughters.

Her six-year-old daughter Chaithanya suffers from a severe neurological disorder and is unable to control her limbs or communicate. Sreeja is a fulltime carer, bound to her single roomed home, while her husband keeps the family afloat with menial labour; earning only Rs 250 per day.

Parents of victims like Carmina Costa, who has been promised a consolatory yet miniscule compensation, fear for future generations' lives.

"My prayer is that this should never happen again. So many children, so many mothers are suffering. This is my prayer to the government."

THOUSANDS MARCH DEMANDING “ENDOSULFAN -QUIT INDIA”

Braving heavy rains , about 7000 protesters, including children and the common public marched to the Kasargod District Collectorate shouting “Endosulfan Quit India” on Aug 7, 2004 in Kasargod. The march was organised in connection with the Quit India celebrations in the country. The march was organised to protest against the continuing neglect of the authorities towards the victims of the Endosulfan tragedy. The leader of the Opposition in State Legislative Assembly Sri. V.S. Achuthanandan, lead the march. The marchers forming a one-kilometre line were in high spirits inspite of the tragedy and the public meeting that ensued adopted a motion asking the government to ban endosulfan in India. 25 years of spraying this chemical in the cashew plantations in Kasargod had caused irreparable damages to the lives of people and the environment. The motion further demanded compensation to the victims and the affected. The people asked the Plantation Corporation to stop the vengeance on the local people. The march then presented the submission to the District Collector.

Alternatives to endosulfan use

For centuries, cropping did not need toxic chemical pesticides. Pesticide killed pests first, followed by other creatures and now human beings are suffering.

Cotton is one of the important crops on which endosulfan is used. In fact, in

India cotton consumes atleast 50% of the total pesticide used in the country.

Endosulfan is also used on vegetables, cashew, coffee, paddy, tea, etc. In India endosulfan was recommended for controlling the tea mosquito bug found in cashew and tea until 2000.

Following the Kasargod tragedy, the National Research Centre for Cashew (NRCC) withdrew its recommendation for endosulfan use in cashew. Many cashew farmers tried organic methods and application of neem oil and pongamia leaf extract from then on and were found to be successful. Some farmers have completely abstained from using any pesticides and their results are encouraging. Some farmers have been following no plant protection measures for the last six years, and there are no adverse effects on yield even after the withdrawal of insecticides.

There are tea plantations in South India that have adopted biodynamic farming and have completely eliminated the use of chemical pesticides including endosulfan. In coffee plantations, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is encouraged as an alternative to endosulfan to control coffee berry borer and other pests. Organic farmers are of the opinion that if we take care of soil, pest problems are less. Hence the focus should be on agro ecosystem management and not on pest management or crop management.

IPM programme has been adopted in cotton growing in many places. The focus of IPM is on cultural and biological control of pests rather than depending on pesticides. Similarly in vegetable cultivation a lot of field trials have been done on alternative pest control methods focussing on herbal pesticides. In the Asian region, farmers have developed their own combinations and methods of pest control using chillies, garlic, asafoetida, cow urine and many other plant materials.

If governments and research institutions can support such work, use of endosulfan can be totally eliminated in agriculture and other sectors.

Question of sustainability

From this tragic incident, we can conclude that many of the agricultural and political practices in the country are not at all sustainable. Even the present generation is suffering severely, what to say about the fate of the future!

For agricultural development to be sustainable, clear studies about the ecosystem have to be made and impact of any new method has to be foreseen before implementing it.

Also, corruption is a big factor that obstructs sustainable development as is obvious from the incident. The farmer needs to be more educated about the scientific aspects of farming and not blindly use chemicals which can provide short term benefits but prove to be disadvantageous in the long run.He also needs to be aware of the malpractices of the chemical manufacturers and not blindly accept their recommendations.

Organic and environment friendly methods of farming and pest control have to be implemented and awareness has to be spread about these. This is the best form of sustainable agricultural development.