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What is the News?
The Supreme Court has slammed the Kerala government for State’s inaction in providing relief to the Endosulfan pesticide exposure victims.
This also amounts to a breach of the Supreme Court’s 2017 judgment which had ordered the State to pay ₹5 lakh each to the victims in three months.
What is Endosulfan?
Endosulfan is a widely-banned pesticide with hazardous effects on human genetic and endocrine systems.
Use of Endosulfan: Sprayed on crops like cotton, cashew, fruits, tea, paddy, tobacco etc. for control of pests such as whiteflies, aphids, beetles, worms etc.
Effects of Endosulfan
Environment: Endosulfan in the environment gets accumulated in food chains leading to higher doses and causing problems. If Endosulfan is released into water, it is expected to absorb into the sediment and may bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms.
Humans And Animals: The endosulfan ingestion results in diseases ranging from physical deformities, cancer, birth disorders and damage to the brain and nervous system.
Ban on Endosulfan
The Supreme Court in India has banned the manufacture, sale, use, and export of endosulfan throughout the country, citing its harmful health effects in 2011.
It is also listed under the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent.
The use of endosulfan is also banned by Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Source: The post is based on the article “Kerala did virtually nothing for Endosulfan victims for 5 years: SC” published in The Hindu on 17th May 2022.
