MANGALORE -- It's Kerala's Chernobyl in the making. But the poison here is an insecticide.
At least one member of every household in Swarga located in Padre village, Kasargod district, suffers from one disease or the other. The diseases range from epilepsy, asthma, mental disorders, skin disease, genetic disorder in newborns, to the more serious cancer. Life for the nearly 200 families in Swarga (which means heaven), is a virtual hell.
The deleterious effect on the health of people in the village appears to be due to the spraying of Endo Sulfan, an insecticide, over cashewnut plantations by the Kerala Cashewnut Corporation (KCC).
The effects were noticed more than a decade ago, according to medical practitioner Dr Mohan Kumar. His letter published in the Kerala Medical Journal in 1997 states: "Since the past 14 years in my medical service, I have seen some alarming developments on the health of people in Swarga. It is more pronounced on people living on either side of a rivulet." He blamed it on the pesticide Endo Sulfan, and stated detailed research should be done to prove the link.
The KCC sprayed Endo Sulfan over cashewnut plantations thrice a year, using helicopters. The people in the area suspected that the drinking water source was contaminated. Dr Kumar said the chemical was banned in the developed countries, but was still being used in India. The villagers pointed out that the living organisms in ponds and rivulets were disappearing.
Dr B Srinivas Kakkilaya, associate professor, K S Hegde Memorial Hospital, told The Times of India that Endo Sulfan, an organo-chlorine compound, caused psychiatric disorders as it was a neuro-toxin. He said it adversely affected newborns too, even among the animals.
He said all organo-chlorine products, including DDT and Gammaxane were banned in the developed countries due to danger to both humans as well as animals.
The villagers complained that the civic body never informed them when spraying was on, so they could cover the drinking water sources. The residents of Periya, Perla, Mulleriya, Padre and others have demanded immediate halt to spraying operations.
Some environmental organisations have come into the picture and have decided to take things into their hands. An environment group `Tanal' (meaning shade) would be visiting the Endo Sulfan affected areas on Sunday to ascertain the magnitude of the problem.
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