RISE OF CANCER IN BARGARH, ODISHA : A TALE OF PESTICIDE OVERUSE

Bargarh, a district in Odisha contributes a total of 5.19 and 7.86 Surplus/Deficit (In Lakh tonnes) with respect to rice and paddy respectively to India’s agriculture. The state has an abundant supply of water allowing farmers to sow paddy as much as twice a year, instead of the usual one year in other states. At the same time, it has also been facing incessant problems that stem from their main occupation (over 75% of the state of Odisha) of rice production. Is being a farmer a dying reality
for the people of Odisha? It may just be the case. They have seen droughts and pests that have destroy their paddy fields in thousands of villages across districts, time and again. Unfortunately, a few farmers from Odisha have even resorted to committing suicide (as many as 8 farmers) to escape debt and crop failures. Now we are met with yet another dark cloud looming over in the Bargarh District and these are the health issues caused by intensive pesticide treatment in their paddy fields. Although bio-fertilizers are available, they are far more expensive and these small scale farmers that constitute around 85% of total farmers from this region cannot afford to use such fertilizers which also take more time to become effective.

Some 14 - 15 years ago, paddy fields became highly prone to attack by pests and insects and as a result, the use of pesticides became a necessity in the area. The use of pesticides and fertilizers was initiated by farmers from starved regions of Andhra Pradesh who migrated to this district. This led the local inhabitants also to start using them in their fields. Types of pesticides used by farmers are pyrethroid, organophosphate, thiocarbonate, and neonicotinoid which fall in the category of Class II which is slightly hazardous, according to the World Health Organization’s classification.

The prolonged and non-monitored usage of the chemical pesticides and fertilizers has resulted in penetration of the toxic chemicals into the soil of the farm lands, ultimately reaching the groundwater of Bargarh region. Constant spraying of the chemicals has caused many health-related risks among the farmers and the locals like skin and eye irritation, headache, drowsiness, for which the main reason was found to be cancer and other neurological disorders. A study was conducted in 23 districts of Odisha of which Bargarh district was found to be the worst affected with 26.3% of cancer cases ranging from cervical, to breast cancer head and neck stomach lung colorectal, and ovary cancer.  

Although a decrease has been observed in pesticide use in the region over the year, cases of people suffering from the disease is still increasing. This may be due to bio–molecular changes or genetic mutations caused when exposed regularly to the chemicals.

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/bargarh-how-odisha-s-rice-bowl-turned-cancer-field-67067

Bargarh, said to be the rice bowl of Odisha has now become the unofficial cancer capital of Orissa due to the high incidence of cancer recorded in the district caused by the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers for the paddy crop.

The surge in pesticide use in India has been one of the major challenges that we face today. The story of Bargarh district in Orissa is one such story that we highlighted in our understanding of one of the major challenges in agriculture. Similarly, many incidents such as the case of some cotton growing districts of south-western Punjab where number of recorded deaths due to cancer was unusually high and Yavatmal district of Maharashtra, where 18 farmers died due to pesticide poisoning have occurred. The first incident of pesticide overuse which was first recorded was from Kerala in 1958 in which around 100 people died. In one of the major milk brands of Bangalore ‘Nandini’ it was found to contain Cypermethrin’ pesticide around 40% more than the permissible limit, and the list goes on.

Pesticides have undoubtedly benefitted the farmers to grow crops by protecting it against pests and weeds but it also comes with a price. The indiscriminate use of pesticides in fields possess potential risks to the environment and human health as well. It is stated that around 800,000 people in the developing countries have died due to pesticide poisoning since the beginning of the green revolution.

Pesticide used in the agricultural process might enter into the food chain thereby causing health problems in humans. The chemicals present in these pesticides can destroy the soil system by killing the microorganisms present in the soil thereby reducing the soil fertility in the long run. The surface water bodies near the irrigated land increasingly get polluted by the excessive pesticide run-off. Taking into account the environmental and human health effects by chemical pesticide, there is an urgent need to shift towards addressing this problem. It is worthy to note that Odisha is not a part of the National Cancer Registry. The NCR collects cancer data in India.

There is a lack of awareness among the farmers in India about the harmful effects of the overuse of pesticide in agriculture for various reasons. Research suggests that many do not read the labels which often are in the Hindi language (farmers may not understand or may be illiterate) or there is no label in the first place. The issues stem in the astounding absence in regulation and training of farmers by chemical pesticide industry or Pesticide Inspectors and in thoughtless promotion of such pesticides by companies and governments alike. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) defined as “a farming practice that believes in natural growth of crops without adding any fertilizers and pesticides or any other foreign elements” practised in Southern states of India should also be promoted.

Awareness is the need of the hour among these farmers to cut down its usage. New pesticide management legislation is needed in addressing the impacts of indiscriminate use of pesticides. Industries should come up with environmental friendly pesticides which are cost-effective, so that farmers can shift from using the harmful synthetic pesticide. Farmers and pesticide sprayer are the first to get affected. Thus promoting safe application practices is needed. Government policies play a major role in the transition to safer agricultural practices.