Pesticides causing health hazard in Moulvibazar

MOULVIBAZAR, Mar 3 (UNB): Chemical pesticides are being used indiscriminately in vegetable fields in different areas of the district to combat pest attacks. This practice, besides polluting environment, is causing serious health hazard to people of the seven Upazilas of the district. According to sources, the district is the producer of huge quantity of vegetables during the winter season. But the growers, who are generally illiterate and poor and who have no sufficient knowledge of harmful effect of pesticides, use the same to combat the pest attacks to increase production. The pesticides leave an adverse impact on public health if these are not consumed by vegetables after a certain period of time, sources said. But the farmers do not have sufficient knowledge about it. The harmful effects of these pesticides on the vegetables can not be visible but can be detected through tests. As a result, the common people, who are consuming these vegetables without any knowledge of its hazardous effects, are falling sick. The officials of the department concerned are not allegedly playing their due role in creating awareness among the common people. If this situation continues, local observers fear that almost all the people of the district will be more or less severely affected. This correspondent during his recent visit to Kamalganj found farmers there using various types of chemical pesticides to fight the pest and viral attack on their vegetable fields. They were also marketing the vegetables before expiry of three days or seven days or 21 days, considered to be dangerous periods after application of the pesticides, due to lack of knowledge. This is a common feature in all other Upazilas of the district during this period. According to the experts of the Agriculture Department, the pesticides like Dimecron, Suinithion, Malathion, Aromal, Nogoz, Sunkuran, 3-G Agroming Nuvactos, Ilasathin-9 and Diazinon 60 EC are recommended for fighting the pest and viral attack.