Overuse of pesticides lethal
Eleven children have died in less than a month in Dinajpur having consumed litchis over-treated by pesticides. Investigative journalism by this newspaper has found that farmers are in the dark about how much pesticide should be used while growing litchis. The amount of pesticides detected in one victim on June 2 was several times the acceptable level. Indeed, blood samples collected by the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) from 46 children including those who have died confirmed this finding. What is alarming is children do not necessarily have to consume a contaminated litchi to fall ill or worse, mere exposure to the orchards heavily sprayed with harmful chemicals can do the damage.
Nearly nine out of the ten fatalities occurred in litchi orchards in Dinajpur. The victims were suffering from pesticide contamination. The present trend of unregulated application of pesticide is proving dangerous to say the least because the bulk of the produce is headed for the capital city with no way to monitor or trace where the litchis are coming from. This puts a greater number of people at risk. The department of agriculture extension should spearhead an awareness campaign on the harmful effects of overusing pesticides and assign the exact quantities to be used. Awareness is the first step in combatting this deadly practice. It harms not only consumers of the fruit, but those who are applying the spray too.
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