Agro-chemicals and environmental quality (Editorial)

  • 13/10/2008

  • Assam Tribune (Guwahati)

The Green Revolution technologies in the country have resulted many fold increase in crop production, but simultaneously have made heavy demands of agro-chemicals, mostly fertilisers and pesticides. These have created pollution of soil, water, air and agricultural produce. Agricultural pollutants include pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers and some other agro- chemicals. In comparison to many developing countries, the present level of fertiliser use in India is not so significant. But due to faulty method of application of agro-chemicals, soil, water and air have been contaminated alarmingly. Moreover, water pollution comes from agro-chemicals than from any other single source. Fertiliser is a component of agro-chemical which can create poor environmental quality. Of course, fertiliser leached from fields is less directly toxic than pesticides. Nitrate pollution of underground water or drinking water is cause of concern expressed by the World Health Organisation. Nitrous oxide emission from nitrogenous fertilizser into the atmosphere is another matter of concern. Nitrous oxide influences the integrity of stratosphere layer of the atmosphere. This layer has properties of shielding the biosphere against ultraviolet radiation which otherwise can cause severe skin disease. The contamination of surface water bodies (pond, river, and lake) due to abundance of nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, silicon, cobalt and molybdenum is termed as Eutrofication. This phenomenon leads to overgrowth of unwanted algae resulting in oxygen deficient condition in water which poses problem for aquatic life like fish etc. Phosphate being extremely immobile in soil, maybe added to surface water bodies through erosion and runoff only. Surface water bodies in India will not be enriched by phosphorus if it is applied at low quantity (almost 18.0 kg/ha) to soile. The presence of excess quantity of chloride in crops like grapes, tobacco, bean, potato, lettuce, etc and of heavy metals like mercury, cadmium, nickel, lead and arsenic in soil has created hazards to plants and humans. In traces, though, some heavy metals are present in phosphatic fertiliser; their availability in soil is too low. Pesticide, which is generally used for increasing agricultural production is another component for affecting environmental quality in more negative ways. Crop production is reduced due to pesticidal air pollution as the photosynthetic activity is also reduced. Various types of crop injuries have been reported from areas which are in the vicinity of agro-chemical industries. It had been reported that total DDT ranged from 3.5 nanogram to 232 nanogram per meter cube volume of air present around metropolitan area of Delhi. Rain sample collected also contained DDT with an average of 12.5 parts per billion. The Bhopal gas tragedy is a living example of agro-chemicals related hazard. There are many evidences which indicate that several of the commonly used pesticides bring about significant changes in the biological ecosystem. They initiate a chain of non-target reaction and exert influence on soil micro-organism against which these microrganisms are not targeted. Intensive use of pesticides leave permissible reserves in fruits, vegetables and animal product. It has also been observed that farmers do not often observe proper waiting periods after pesticide spray and also the banned pesticides such as DDT and BHC are still in use in vegetable plots. Herbicide application started since 1944. Herbicides applied in large quantities from air craft can easily spread beyond their targets, killing beneficial insects and wild life directly and slow poisoning farm workers indirectly. The pesticides that make their way into streams, rivers and lakes and lastly the ocean can have serious implication on aquatic ecosystems. Although persistent organo-chloride pesticides are being used less now-a-days, the low persistent replacements are often much more toxic. Pesticides also enter ground water thereby causing contamination of drinking water supplies. Almost in all the states of the country, ground water has been contaminated in different degrees. Seeing the more toxic effect of pesticides, as many as 25 pesticides including hexachloride, endrin, heptachlor, nitrofen have been banned from being manufactured, imported and used. Nicotine sulfate and captafol 80 per cent powder