Hyderabad: As of March 2024, over one-third of the 339 pesticides registered in India qualify as Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). Additionally, 20 of the 100 registered herbicides in the country also fall under this highly toxic category, said Narsimha Reddy Donthi, an environmentalist.
“Furthermore, 81 HHPs registered in India are banned or unapproved in numerous other countries due to their extreme toxicity and adverse effects. These chemicals, many of which predate the Insecticide Act of 1968 and lack thorough safety testing, are linked to reduced crop yields, soil erosion, and significant contamination of air, water, and soil,” he said during a symposium organised to mark the ‘No Pesticide Use Week’ in remembrance of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.
The event, jointly organised by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India, the Council for Green Revolution, and the Centre for Economic and Social Studies, highlighted the urgent need for stricter regulation and eventual bans on these toxic substances.
Donthi, in his keynote address, described the “chemicalisation” of Indian agriculture as a grim reality. He likened the seasonal pesticide spraying in rural areas to creating gas chambers, drawing a parallel to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. “Pesticide poisoning is one of the least understood and least addressed issues,” he added, emphasising its devastating effects on rural families.
PAN India’s CEO, A D Dileep Kumar, underscored that HHPs dominate both imports and exports in India, with residues of these chemicals frequently detected in food items. “This has not only raised serious food safety and health concerns domestically but also led to the rejection of Indian agricultural exports in global markets, exacerbating the economic burden on farmers,” he added.
The symposium highlighted the severe health risks posed by HHPs. “Acute exposure can cause irritation, dizziness, sweating, convulsions, and even death, while long-term exposure is linked to cancer, neurological damage, birth defects, infertility, liver and kidney damage, and endocrine disruption. These pesticides also have trans-generational toxicity, accumulating and persisting in the environment,” added Donthi.
Environmentalist K Purushotham Reddy called on the medical community to collaborate with campaigners in advocating bans on HHPs. “Through this, we demand to ban HHPs and herbicides in India to protect public health, biodiversity, and the environment,” he added.
