Ecological Crisis in Punjab

Umendra Dutt

Kheti Virasat Mission VATAVARAN PANCHAYATJaitu, Faridkot, Punjab, India

The Context: Violence Against Nature: Destruction of Lives and

Livelihoods

Punjab (India): A Symbol?

I. WATER

The Land of Five Rivers Becoming a Dry Desert ?

What is the Future in next 50 years ?

The Ecocide of Punjab

Turning PUNJAAB into BE-AAB Highest % of DARK ZONES in country

• TOTAL DEVELOPMENTAL

BLOCKS-- 138• DARK ZONES-108• GREY ZONES- 4• WHITE ZONES- 26

Land of five Waters becomes

land of highly contaminated water

The deadly Contaminators

- Chloride- Selenium- Nitrates- Arsenic- Cadmium- Zinc- Lead- Mercury- Sulphate- Organochlorines- Sodium & Magnesium

Contaminated Rivers

Satluj Beas Kali Bein East Bein Buddha Dariya Gagghar

Pesticides, POPs and other hazardous chemicals in ground water, surface water,

rivers, rivulets, wetlands and ponds

Water Crisis in Punjab Death of Wetlands

Water Crisis in Punjab Death of Wetlands

• Bhupindra Sagar -1280 Hectares - Sangrur district• Chhangli Chhamb – 1000 Ha - Ferozpur district• Chhangli Tabo-140 Ha• Rababsar – 100 Ha - Tarantaran• Chhamb Gurditwala -100 Ha. • Sangeri 41 Ha - Mansa, • Sharmkot -12 Ha - Gurdaspur,• Gaunspur Chhamb -100 HaHoshiarpur• Jandwal Chhamb -100 Ha • Narayanpur Terkiana• Rahon Chhamb 300 Ha – Nawanshahar. • Jasterwal, Khanuwan, Lobana , Mand Bharthala,

Bareta

Punjab : Fact File – 3 Punjab : Heading towards

desertification

Punjab : Fact File – 3 Punjab : Heading towards

desertification

• Highest water exploitation rate in the country

• Highest % of dark zones in country• All most entire wetland area destroyed

in last two decades• One of the highest rate of fall in ground

water level

Water Extraction Unsustainable

Water Extraction Unsustainable

Increase in the Number of Tube wells in Punjab

1970-71 - 1.92 lakh 1980-81 - 6 lakh 1990-91 - 8 lakh

2000-01 - 10 lakh and now - 14 lakh Approx.

In 2004 90% area of Punjab is drawing water from the depth of more then 10 meters. 30% area of Punjab has depth of 20 meters or even more.

Water Crisis in Punjab Drinking water problem

villages

• 1980 - 3712 • 1990 - 6287 • 2000 - 8518 • 2004 - 11849 villages or habitations out of total

12423 in Punjab are facing drinking water problems

School going children taking water from canal – A scene of Mansa district

Punjab Remote Sensing Centre at Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana and

National Bureau of Soil Survey and use planning survey says:

Very high concentration of sodium carbonate and salinity in tube well water

57% of ground water is unfit for irrigation More over some districts of Malwa region are in

deep crisis Muktsar- 38% quality water ,Faridkot – 33% Mansa -35%, Sangrur-34%, Bathinda -19.77%

Moga - 14.98% of ground water fit for irrigation.

7.7% ground water in Punjab is totally unfit, 5.3% has high salt contents and 42.1%

contains sodium bicarbonate

Punjab The land of dark zones

In 1984 there were 53 blocks as dark zones, in 1995 they were 84 and in 2005 the figure went up to 108 out of total 138 development blocks in Punjab.

Area• 1.5 % of total geographical area of the

country.• 2.5 % agriculture land of country• 4.2 % of total cropped area of countryContribution in Central Pool of food

grains• 60% Wheat • 40% Rice

II.AGRICULTURE

The cost of contribution

• Highest Cropping intensity – 188 %• Using Highest % of Pesticides – 18 %• Highest % of Chemical Fertilizers -10

%• Highest Tractor population – 24 % • Highest tube well density in country• Highest rate of ground water

exploitation• Lowest forest cover • Thinnest wetland cover

Punjab’s Heavy Pesticide Use :The poisoned paradise

• Facing worst Environmental Health Crisis in country

• Contaminated and degraded eco system.

• Large population exposed to pesticides – acute and chronicle

• Highest loss of bio-diversity in country• High residues of pesticides found in

food, fodder, Water, Milk, fruit and vegetables

• Socio-economic implications

The Myth called PunjabPesticides also kills economy

• 43% farmers of India still dependent on money lenders for loans- 52% in Punjab

• More then 10,000 crores debt on Punjab farmers

• 65% Punjab farmers facing average debt of Rs 41,576 each – National average 12,585

Mechanization of Agriculture

Implements 1950-51 2004-05

Tractors 4200 4,07,000Tillers 3100 3,00,000Disc harrow 3000 3,15,000Spray Pumps 2000 6,00,000 Reapers - 5,000 Combine TD - 3,50,000

Punjab : Consumption of Pesticides

Year Total Consumption (in 000 tones)1960-61 624 1970-71 2215 1980-81 3200 1990-91 6500 2000-01 7005 2001-02 7200 2002-03 6400 2003-04 6900 2004-05 6490

The Impact: Environmental Health

Catastrophe• Abnormally high incidences of Cancer• Severe Reproductive health crisis• High number of Children with Neural

Tube Defects• High number of Congenital

abnormalities• Even banned pesticides like DDT and

BHC have been found in all breast milk samples

Contd…

• Enhanced losses of female fetuses

• Large-scale Infertility cases• Premature Graying • Abnormally high number of

Kidney failure cases• Enhanced cases of Respiratory

disease

The Impact: Environmental Health

Catastrophe

1. BATHINDA2. MANSA3. MUKTSAR4. FARIDKOT5. ABOHAR –FAZILKA area of

Ferozepur

III.CANCER IN MALWA (COTTON BELT)

Cotton belt of MALWA : Cancer, death, debt and suicides

• Government says cancer deaths 2472 in last ten years

• But, public estimates more then 10,000

• Cancer engulfs entire cotton belt.

• Worst effected districts Muktsar and Bathinda.

Cancer : The new tragedy of Punjab

• Most common sites of cancer among deaths and confirmed cases- Esophagus, Lymphoma, Uterus / cervix, Breast, liver, Skin and Ovary

• Punjab Pollution Control Board sponsored epidemiological study by PGIMER, Chandigarh in 2005 confirms the Pesticide link

Results of CSE Study in Punjab

• Found 15 different types of pesticides in 20 blood samples tested.

• Each blood sample contains a cocktail of 6-13 different pesticides.

• Level of certain organo-chlorine pesticides (OCs) were found to be 15-605 times higher than those found in blood samples of US population.

• Found residues of the newer and so-called ‘non-persistent’ pesticides – organophosphates.

Cancers in Punjab

Source of data and information National Cancer Registry Program

(ICMR) Hospital Based Registry Population Based Registry

Districts surveyed in population based registry: Bhatinda, Faridkot, Muktsar, Patiala, Rupnagar

Cancers in Punjab – 2002• Source Bhatinda Patiala Chandigarh

• Acharya Tulsi RCC, Bikaner 328 33• Govt.Med.Col., Patiala 29 327• PGIMR (Histo.), Chandigarh 22 147 237• PGIMR (Cyto) , Chadigarh 18 105 389• MDOCT, Ludhiana 17 21• HBCR, Mumbai 1 5 9• PBCR, Delhi 7 • All others 2 3 11• …………………………………………….………………………………………..• Total 424 641 646Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer Treatment & Res FoundationPBCR=Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital AIIMS Delhi

Minimum Crude incidence of cancer per 100,000 population

District Male Female

Bhatinda 28.4 43.2

Rupnagar 27.4 40.9

Patiala 33.5 33.6

Faridkot 19.8 32.3

Muktsar 17.2 32.1

Chandigarh 59.6 82.5

Leading 10 cancers (In both sexes)

• Oesophagus• Gall bladder• Lymhoma Leukaemia• Urinary Bladder• Liver Distinctly High• In women Breast Cancer highest in

all places

Present scenario

• Cancer spreading/detecting in new areas.• No government initiative for cancer cure • Cancer deaths toll rising every week• It is epidemic like situation• Pesticide companies started campaign

citing – No link between pesticide and cancer

• Pesticide companies [UPL] sued KVM in Bombay High Court for loss of business due to KVM campaign

Pesticide exposure and Cancer morbidity and mortality

• PGI Chandigarh and Punjab Pollution Control Board study.

• Unequivocal association demonstrated between high exposure to pesticides/heavy metals and cancer morbidity and mortality in pesticide intensive cotton cultivation area as compared to matched population low exposure area.

INSECTICIDES RESIDUE IN DIFERENT FOOD AND FEED COMMODITIES IN Punjab during 1976-1996

Commodities ANALYSED INSECTICIDES DETECTED

CONTAMINATED

(%)

ABOVE TOLERANCE LIMITS (%)

Cereals 1088 DDT

HCH/ BHC

87.4

67.6

15.8

1.9

Fruits 189 DDT

HCH /BHC

38.3

43.7

NIL

NIL

Milk 1110 DDT

HCH/ BHC

97.7

100.0

41.0

40.0

Butter 283 DDT

HCH/ BHC

100.0

100.0

71.0

NIL

Infant formula 54 DDT

HCH/ BHC

100.0

86.0

18.5

NIL

ANIMAL FEED 228 DDT

HCH/ BHC

100.0

100.0

35.0

32.0

INSECTICIDES RESIDUE IN DIFERENT FOOD AND FEED COMMODITIES IN Punjab 1976-1996

Commodities ANALYSED INSECTICIDES (S)

DETECTEDCONTAMINATED

(%)

ABOVE TOLERANCE LIMITS (%)

RICE 99 HCH/ BHC 97.0 9.0

FRUITS 27 PHOSPHAMIDON

QUINALPHOS85.0 11.0

VEGETABLES 147 ENDOSULFAN,QUINALPHOS CHLOFPHYRISPHOS,MALATHION,

PARATHION,MONOCROTOPHOS

71.0 18.0

MILK 92 DDT

HCH/ BHC2.2

53.2

NIL

53.3

BUTTER 16 DDT

LINDANE /HCH75.0

31.0

NIL

NIL

ANIMAL FEED

31 DDT

HCH/ BHC

MALATHION

22.5

77.5

38.5

10.0

NIL

NIL

IV. The Ecocide of Punjab : Pushing Punjab out of life

Animal and plant diversity wiped out.

Almost entire peacock population, common sparrow, firefly, butterflies and earthworms lost.

Large number of medicinal plants and herbs vanished.

Pesticide contamination at alarming level in Ramsar site Harike wetland endangering aquatic life.