Man made disaster
The Endosulfan pesticide spraying in Kasorgod district of Kerala has destroyed the lives of many.
Endosulfan spraying is the worst tragedy India has witnessed after the Bhopal gas leakage. The chemical was used in India between the years 1976 and 2000 extensively even after developed countries banned the use of this chemical as a pesticide.
Like Hiroshima and Bhopal Gas tragedy, Endosulfan has also affected more than two generations and a very wide area in the Kasargod district of Kerala. The pesticide was not only killing the pests but also killing the people who were spraying the pesticide. Until people realized its ill-effects it was very late, because of which a lot of generations suffered from psychological problems. Endosulfan was banned in this area, but only after the effects of the chemical became more evident that the people of Kasargod especially the Panchayaths of Bandadukka, Mooliyar, Periya, Kayyur and Cheemeni started realizing that something is wrong. In this area, in every house there are people around the age group of 25-30 years whose mental growth has been affected. The economic condition of these houses is also very pathetic. But the parents of these victims cannot go to work leaving their helpless children alone to care for themselves. Unfortunately these sufferers never criticize the government for their lack of interest in helping them lead a better life.
During the last ten years the newspapers and other forms of media reported a lot of stories regarding this issue. A number of documentaries were made and novels were also written based on this subject. But what have the people gained through this is the question we need ask. Today the same pesticide is used in several areas; the only difference is that the name has been changed.
Chief Minister of Kerala V.S Achuthanandan visited this area and distributed some pension and offered free medicines to the victims. They also planned to set up a rehabilitation centre. But the irony is that the people whose names are on the list are already dead and the names of those who are alive and suffering have not been enlisted. It is obvious that the central government did not consider this issue worthy enough of their attention. The Agricultural Minister of India, Mr.Sharad Pawar has even said there may be other reasons for this tragedy.
One of the most important aspects regarding Endosulfan pesticide is that the people who worked in the fields were affected the most. Now even after banning the pesticide there are still tones of it which needs to be disposed off, but the authorities are clueless about how they should go about the process. If they bury it, it might affect the Earth and if it’s stored then it might affect the people. Currently the government has stored the pesticide by sealing it with a plastic wrap.
Now the issue is in the hands of the Human Rights Commission. The HRC chairman, K.G Balakrishnan visited the area and said that it is a very big issue and measures should be taken immediately. Hopefully the HRC will bring justice to the victims of this tragedy.
When such issues are ignored by the government, especially matters related to the welfare of the agrarian society, it shows the efficiency of the administration and their level of sensitivity towards them. Almost 70% of the Indian economy depends on the agricultural sector and ignoring it will lead to the downfall of the country.
