Usha S, a horticulturalist by profession, inspired by the warnings against pesticides by Rachel Carson started her work
studying the impact of pesticide in Kerala. We have been continuously trying to challenge intensive chemical use in farming
by exposing through real life stories from farmers and the fields.
Pesticides came into the ambit of Thanal’s
work after we got into studying the issue of Endosulfan poisoning of the villages in Kasaragod. Even though our work was initially to understand the issue and find an immediate remediation by stopping
the pesticide spray by legal interventions, later this became a campaign and a struggle to get the Governments and the Scientists
to realize the big mistake of indiscriminate use of pesticides resulting in such untold miseries to the people. Our work has been repeatedly vindicated by the findings of the Centre for Science and Environment, New
Delhi(2001), the National Institute of Occupational Health, Ahmedabad(2002) and
lately by the Government of Kerala(2003).
Our advocacy work led to the ban of Endosulfan by the State High Court and the upholding of the Precautionary
Principle. The problem caused by Endosulfan has been taken forward into many
other States in India as well as countries and we are quite glad that Endosulfan has been highlighted as a problematic chemical
in the Inter-Governmental Forum for Chemical Safety(2003), along with Paraquat.
Many countries have taken up the Endosulfan use for critical review and we would continue to work for a global phase
out. Thanal has brought out a comprehensive fact sheet on Endosulfan, which would
be published by IPEN.
As an after effect of the Endosulfan struggle, we felt that communities need to be empowered with better
understanding and simple tools for research into their Health and Environment. Our
discussions with the Community Health Cell in Bangalore, Green peace, Nithyanand Jayaraman and the Centre for Resource Education
led to the CHESS ( Community Health Environment Skill Share)(2002) a process which is in the third year and which now serves
as a platform for bringing many of such affected communities together with the activists, the doctors and scientists to deliberate
and share experiences, skills and resources.
This also led to the CAPE (Community Action for Pesticide
Elimination ), a nationwide network of pesticide impacted communities and people/organizations concerned with pesticide use. Thanal is at present the Secretariat of the CAPE(2003).
Our main area of work has been to challenge the main stream push for pesticides and intensive chemical
use in farming by exposing real life stories from the farmers and fields. Thanal has successfully participated in the campaign
against Dicofol resulting in stoppage of its use in coconut by the state government (2001).
The “Ban Endosulfan” campaign is now a follow up of the endosulfan tragedy from Kasargod and we have exposed
the way pesticide industry is playing with lives of people and contaminating every one with toxic substances.
Our other areas where Pesticides were the main focus of research / campaign were
Þ A study
on the Intensity of Pesticide use in the State. This study was supported by the
KRPLLD and the INTACH. (2003)
Þ Preliminary
survey, Documentation of Pesticide accidents in the Plantation areas.(2002)
Þ A Health
study of the Pesticide accident among students in Wyanad, adjacent to a banana field.(2003)
Þ A documentation
of the massive pesticide poisoning accidents involving women workers in the Cashew processing factories of South Kerala –
Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram Districts.(2003) The work in these areas, especially
to bring this issue out needs to be done through research and campaign.
Þ In the
year 2002 and 2003, we organized “Remembering Bhopal” Day with support from PAN.
Remembering Bhopal Day is “No Pesticide Use” Day and we used the day to highlight the issue among the media
and public. We organized meetings with SAKHI, (Womens Resource Centre) , SEWA(Self
employed Womens Association), Sthree vedi. The focus in 2002 was “Invisible
Violence caused by chemicals on Women and Children” and in 2003 it was
“Vulnerability of Women and children to chemicals and pesticides” In
2003, we also focussed on herbicide use and released a "Ban Paraquat" poster.
Þ Co-organised
along with PAN-AP, the public hearing of pesticide impacted communities in the Asian Social Forum, Hyderabad(ASF) 2003.
Þ POP’s
Pesticide work in association with IPEN and now co-chair of the IPEN Pesticide Working Group.(since 2003).
Þ Thanal
is associated with a Reproductive Health study of Women Plantation workers to find the impact due to pesticide use. This work is headed by Dr. Sukanya, and is supported by the McArthur Foundation.(2003-2005)
At the Policy level a lot of work remains to be done, which need to be supported with research and campaign
as well. We have been able to bring Pesticide into focus in Womens Health in
the discussions of Gender, Health and Development Policies.
We also work on alternatives in pesticide use and the revival
of organic ways of farming in the State. Our work has reached out to many groups
of farmers, including women most of them marginal or landless. We also
organize a monthly Organic Bazaar - a local initiative in alternative marketing bringing together the producer (farmer/local
manufacturer) of organic produce and the consumer. This forum is used to spread
the message of toxic free food and lifestyles, and also emphasizing the consumers responsibility towards sustaining agriculture.
Our other support activities include Documentation, Information and Resource Centre on Pesticides for sharing among communities
and organizations. One other important area which we have started along with
the local community in Kasaragod led by the ESPAC (Endosulfan Spray Protest Action Committee)
has been the Remediation of Kasaragod Endosulfan Victims. This is yet
to take off in a substantial way, and we hope to do this in the coming year.
