Awareness meet against using Endosulfan Insecticides
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 03 2012: A public meeting cum awareness campaign 'against using Endosulfan Insecticides for Fishing in Loktak Lake', was jointly organised by Loktak Development Authority and Loktak Project Affected Area Farmers & Land Owners' Association at Phoubakchao Bazar today.

Addressing the gathering, LDA Project Director Th Ibobi Singh, referring to the recent report about use of banned Hildan insecticide to catch fish at a Loktak Lake area, said the incident is most unfortunate and detrimental to ongoing effort by the LDA and NGOs to preserve and protect Loktak Lake from further degradation.

Reacting to the irresponsible act, most probably by a handful of local fishermen, he cautioned that affects of using harmful insecticides/pesticides is not confined to a particular section of the society but to all the people of Manipur for fishes caught through such methods are usually sold in the market places.

Even though harm cause to the human body due to consumption of such fishes is not immediate it will ultimately result in adverse impact on the health of the consumers, he warned.

Stating that Government of India had clamped blanket ban on the use of Hildan for agricultural purposes after detecting severe health complications among the citizens of Kerala and Karnataka States where it was widely used, he lamented that the banned insecticide is being smuggled and used in fishing by some fishing community.

Underlining the need for concerted effort by every section of the society to effectively prevent smuggling or use of the same in Manipur, the Project Director pointed out that failure to curb such a harmful practice would subsequently transform the landscape of Manipur to a land of mental and physical deformities.

He also expressed hope that the awareness campaign will enlighten all concerned against using harmful substances in agricultural or fishing activities.

Resource persons who also deliberated on the issue prevailed upon responsible citizens to contribute their mite in checking the menace of using hazardous substances in fishing activities.

Comment