Ban Paraquat In Telangana Demand Grows Louder

“The problem is there is no antidote for paraquat poisoning,” said Dr Marri Mahesh Reddy, who runs a private hospital and has been spreading awareness on the dangers of paraquat.

He said the herbicide was available round the year. “Anyone can go and buy a bottle, and there have been several cases of accidental ingestion too when people store a small portion if the liquid in other bottles. Just a 10 ml consumption of the chemical is enough to kill a person,” he said.

“In addition to attempt to suicide cases, we also see several cases of paraquat getting into their systems from cuts or bruises they have when they are spraying it in their fields. In such cases, the impact on health is even faster as the chemical gets directly into the blood stream. Paraquat poisoning results in multi-organ failure and the morbidity rates are extremely high,” Dr Mahesh Reddy said.

The issue of a ban on paraquat in Telangana had also figured in the Legislative Assembly this January with MLAs demanding its ban as this was fast becoming a serious threat not just to health but is also being viewed as a first resort in rural areas by people seeking to take their lives.

According to estimates, the paraquat market in India ranges between `81 crore and `108 crore every year. The Centre last year, in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, had said that paraquat dichloride “which are currently banned/restricted/ withdrawn in other countries,” was accepted for its “use with caution, improved packaging to prevent misuse, and training for medical personnel to handle poisoning cases.”

The BRS on Saturday urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, and agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao to take steps for an immediate ban the sale and use of the herbicide.

Former BRS MP B. Vinod Kumar told reporters that his inquiries with government hospitals in Karimnagar and Warangal districts had revealed that every month, the districts see at least around 10 to 20 people seeking treatment for paraquat poisoning among people attempting to take their lives. “There are alternative herbicides which are far less dangerous to people. The government must ban the sale and use of paraquat,” he said. Dr Mahesh Reddy spoke with the media at the BRS press conference.

In his letter to the Chief Minister, and others including the Chief Secretary, Vinod Kumar said the state could follow the example of Odisha which had banned paraquat for six months and had been extending it every six months, as a permanent decision has to be taken by the Centre.

Infographic:

Paraquat dichloride use in India

Year – Tonnes

2019-20 - 113.18

2020-21 – 74.49

2021-22 – 104.97

2022-23 – 97.69

2023-24 – 105.06

Paraquat use on crops in India

Tea, Potato, Cotton, Rubber, Coffee, Rice, Wheat, Maize, Grapes, Apple, and for aquatic weed control in pond, water ways and canals

Paraquat imports

Year – Tonnes

2019-20 – 8,698

2020-21 – 14,436

2021-22 – 15,272

2022-23 – 20,786