Pesticides polluting precious water

"The United Nations General Assembly in its Resolution 55/196 has declared 2003 the 'International Year of Fresh Water'. The international community has finally realised that there is a global water crisis: "no water, no future!" The paradox is that in a globe of which three quarters are covered by water, there is a scarcity of fresh water. [Less than 1% of all available water is fresh & potable.] At the heart of this ecological crisis is the misuse of this most pervasive constituent of planet earth. The challenge in sustainable development is the management of water resources." Excerpt from VJTR July 2003.

Fish drawn from the Ganga in several parts of the State have been found to be contaminated with pesticides. As such they may be hazardous for the health of those who consume them, writes Samir Kumar Sinha in HT, Patna July 19, 03.

Now even the mud of the Ganga near Kolkata has been found to contain inordinate amounts of lead, chromium and zinc, resulting in artisans developing sores on their hands as they work the mud to create images of the Goddess Durga.

ALARMING FACTS

Pesticides include fungicide (for fungus), insecticide (for insects), rodenticide (for rodents like rats), nematicide (for nematodes such as worms) etc.

Pesticides are specific to pests and attack the central nervous system of the organism. Pesticides also affect non-target organisms.

Pesticides are mainly categorised as organochlorines, organophosphates and carbamates.

Organochlorines are most harmful due to their persistence in the environment. These pesticides have a tendency to bio-magnify. Examples are DDT, HCH, Aldrine, Dieldrin, Endosulfan etc.

Pesticides enter the human body through food and water and cause cancer, neural, renal and hepatic disorders, damage to immune system and, birth defects.

DDT severely affects nervous system besides producing serious functional and morphological changes in every organ of the human body.

DDT causes early puberty and sexual precocity. It is also associated with reduced lactation in mothers.

Once DDT enters into the human body, it remains there for a long time and gets excreted slowly.

HCH affects the central nervous system, liver, kidney, pancreas, testes and nasal mucous membrane.

The average Indian diet contains 0.27 mg (milligram) of DDT.

Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL) , a public sector company is the sole producer of DDT in India and the second largest manufacturer of pesticides in Asia .

Storehouse of Pesticides

THE GANGETIC dolphin (platanista gangetica) also known as 'sauns' in Bihar, has been declared as endangered species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN)and given maximum legal protection from Killing and poaching under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. But, the animal is critically threatened due to pollution caused by pesticides in the Ganga . The dolphin being at the top of the food chain accumulates the maximum persistent pesticides. The accumulation is a result of bio-magnification of pesticides at successive levels of the food chain.

Investigators have found a maximum of 64000 ppb of DDT in the tissues of a calf dolphin in Bihar . A maximum presence of 1900 ppb of HCH was reported in dolphins found in the Ganga at Patna . Besides, the dolphin milk was reported to contain 4800 and 400 ppb of DDT and HGH respectively.

The Article

FOR THOSE, who don't get troubled by the presence of pesticides in bottled drinking water; here is something to worry about. The water they consume everyday may contain poisonous chemicals.

In Bihar millions of people are dependent on the river water for their everyday use. Unfortunately the river and fish in them are often infected with deadly pesticides, posing serious health hazard to consumers. These pesticides also percolate downwards due to leaching process, posing risk to those who draw groundwater for consumption.

An eye-opener

Recent researches on the presence of pesticides in aquatic systems in the State by the Environmental Biology Laboratary, Department of Zoology, Patna University , are an eye-opener not only for the common people but also for the authorities concerned.

While a lot of attention has been directed towards the sources of pollution such as industrial and city waste water, little has been done about the threat posed by pesticides to the river system. Even the Government agencies seem least interested in collecting data on it at regular intervals. Despite that, some academic and Research and Development (R&D) organisations have studied this aspect. A study conducted by the Industrial Toxicological Research Centre (ITRC), Lucknow, during 1986-92 in the entire stretch of the Ganga reveal the presence of as much as 0.38488 parts per billion (ppb) of Dichloro Diphenyl Trichloroethane (DDT) and 0.13098 ppb of Hexachlorocyclo Hexane (HCH) in the river water in Patna.

These values are much higher than the safe limit of 0.001 ppb prescribed by the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) for fresh water aquatic life. A joint study conducted in 1998 by the Environmental Biology Laboratory, Patna University Department of Environment Conservation, Ehime University ( Japan ) and Institute for Environmental Technology, Michigan University (USA) revealed the presence of 3700 ppb of DDT and 110 ppb of HCH in the fish collected from the Ganga in Patna .

Blatant use

The presence of pesticides in the river system may be attributed to their massive use in the agriculture and health sectors in the State. Pesticides from crop fields and towns ultimately reach rivers and other surface water bodies. About 50 per cent area of the middle Gangetic plain, of which Bihar is a part, is used for farming.

The use of chemical pesticides is associated with the farming system to control pests in fields as well as in storage. According to reports of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemical and Fertilisers, Government of India, the consumption of technical grade pesticides in Bihar during 1994-99 was 5868 metric tonnes. The use of bio-pesticides, practice of integrated pest management (IPM) and eco-friendly ways to control pests in agricultural fields have not been promoted among the farmers of the State. As a result, they have to rely on synthetic pesticides.

In the plains of Bihar , DDT is extensively sprayed to control the vectors of kala-azar and malaria. Though the use of this pesticide is banned in the agriculture sector, the health sector is yet to restrict its use. The spraying of DDT not only pollutes the water bodies but also poses an occupational health hazard. Most of the organochlorine pesticides like DDT, HCH, Aldrin and Endosulfen remain present in the environment, showing their effects for a long time, say experts. These pesticides are non-biodegradable and have the tendency to accumulate in biological systems and bid-magnify at every level of the food chain.

People at risk

As per this concept, the animals at the highest level of the food chain are at maximum risk. And in some cases, human begins are at the top of the food chain. Research by Drs. Anupama Kumari and R. K. Sinha of the Environmental Biology laboratory shows bio-accumulation of organochlorine pesticides in fish.

This means those who relish fish from the Ganga in Patna are at maximum risk.

Chemicals presence

Their study found the DDT in disturbing proportions in the range of 56.7-215.5 ppb in Rohu (labeo rohita) fish collected from the Ganga at four study sites in Bihar , including Patna , where 182.3 ppb of DDT was found in this fish.

The concentration of HCH was as high as 628.9 ppb in Rohu fish collected from Mokama. The carnivorous fish collected from the Ganga in Patna had the highest concentration of 1665.9 ppb of DDT.

The presence of DDT in the range of 0.019 - 1.663 ppb in river waters and 13.6 - 1665.9 ppb in fish as per the study of Dr. Kumari is enough to harm the physiology and endocrine system of the people consuming fish caught in the Ganga.

N.B. Other sources of pollution of the Ganga come from industrial effluents all along its route. Moreover tonnes of raw sewage is mercilessly allowed to flow into it throughout its course as if its very sanctity will be able to purify this waste. The dumping of dead bodies or partly cremated ones into the river, merely compounds the problem causing the spread of many pernicious diseases.

Various govts, both at the central and state levels, remain fairly unconcerned about this, clearly unwilling to learn from the industrialised nations and setting up sewage processing plants and functioning electric crematoria in each town.

The awareness of bio degradable products of daily use such as soaps and so on, has also yet to grow in India . In this context Amway is performing an exemplary service to the nation, marketing eco friendly FMCG through its network.

This is an extremely serious situation and it is hoped this article will draw the attention of concerned authorities to the burning issue of pollution. Moreover massive quantities of water of the Ganga are being drawn at various points upstream for irrigation and variegated industrial use that merely a comparatively minor trickle reaches Patna . In Munger itself, the Ganga has shrunk to less than half its original size.

It is of particular interest to note that the west has developed a new generation of pesticides with short half life spans ranging from a few hours to a few days. This enables pesticides to self destruct after their utility is over. Research is also being carried out on extracts from Neem and other trees to create eco-friendly pesticides. Similarly various organisms are also being cultured to fight off pests.

Postscript by Lama Shree Narayan Singh, Mrs. Harbeet Singh and Sri Birendra Kumar, Adv, Munger 94312 36068 / 71 / 73:

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