THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A decade after the illegal aerial spraying of deadly endosulfan over the cashew plantations in Kasargod,..
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A decade after the illegal aerial spraying of deadly endosulfan over the cashew plantations in Kasargod, the soil and sediments in the area have been found to contain endosulfan.
This has been reported by the technical cell of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) constituted by the State Government for monitoring endosulfan persistence in soil and water.The report of the 11member technical cell was submitted to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy by KSCSTE executive vicepresident CTS Nair here on Tuesday.
As per the report, endosulfan was found in the soil at Bediyadukka, Bellur, PullurPeriya, Panathady and Ajanur. Of all the soil samples taken by the experts of the technical cell, maximum concentration of endosulfan was found in the panchayats of Bellur, Kallar and Periya. Among the sediment samples taken from specific sites, endosulfan was found in samples taken from Bellur, Muliyar, Karadukka, KayyurCheemeni and Kallar, the highest concentration of which was noticed at Kallar. ''The fact that endosulfan is persisting in the soil even after such a long period points to the possibility of it having entered the food chain and the food web, right from the plants through the vegetables and fruits to animals and even human beings. We are yet to study such details and corelations,'' said Kamalakshan Kokkal, KSCSTE deputy director and member of the cell. Endosulfan sulfate, a persistent degraded product of endosulfan, was seen in theplantation area near Hosanamana in Bellur and near Minchipadavu plantation, near the stream in Karadukka panchayat. While the halflife period for alpha endosulfan is only around 88 days and that forbeta endosulfan is 40 days, the presence of the pesticide residue in soil has surprised scientists and experts in the cell. This delayed degradation could probably be because of the local weather conditions and acidic condition of the soil, the report said.Thankfully, none of the water samples were found to be contaminated with endosulfan.
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