The Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilizers presented its report on ‘Insecticides and Pesticides – Promotion and Development including Safe Usage – Licensing Regime for Insecticides’ on December 19, 2023. Pesticides are broadly of four types: insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, and bio-pesticides. Herbicides kill/control the growth of weeds, and have the …
Senegal authorities are facing a dilemma on how to dispose off large quantities of dieldrine, a toxic pesticide banned worldwide since 1980. According to Senegal's Plant Protection Services, the country has 67,050 litres of dieldrine. The pesticide originally belonged to a now non-functional regional organisation known as the Common Organisation …
Pesticides whose quality is far below internationally accepted standards are posing health hazards, two UN agencies have warned. Around 30 per cent of pesticides sold in developing countries, that have an estimated market value of US $900 million annually, do not meet safety standards, said the UN Food and Agriculture …
In the face of mounting pressure from the media and civil society, the Kerala government has appointed an expert committee to investigate the unusual diseases in Padre, a village in Kasaragod district, Kerala. The village has a number of people suffering from diseases of the central nervous system, which, believe …
Exposure to pesticides at home or in gardens doubles the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study of almost 500 people diagnosed with the disease. It is the first study to show a significant association between use of pesticide in households and Parkinson's disease. The researchers questioned 496 …
the frogs aren't leaping in the us anymore; they have been overfed on a cocktail of pesticides. Scientists at the us Geological Survey and us Department of Agriculture say the use of organophosphorus pesticides has led to a fall in amphibian populations breeding in mountain ponds and streams in California, …
Most of them have been putting it down to a supernatural curse. Jatadhari, the guardian spirit (theyyam) of the area, is angry, believe several people of Padre village of Enmakaje Gram Panchayat (village council) in Kasaragod district of Kerala. Family after family has people suffering from diseases that were never …
british birds are on the verge of extinction due to intensive farming and use of herbicides and pesticides. This was stated in the Annual Breeding Bird Survey, compiled by the British Trust for Ornithology ( bto ), government advisers, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( rspb ) and …
it's November. Time for Gloriosa superba popularly known as glory lily to bloom. A few hours drive from the temple town Madurai in Tamil Nadu, it has indeed blossomed and covered hundred of hectares of land with its red flowers. It does make a pretty sight. But under the red …
It is called the "lotus effect', or nature's principle of self-cleaning surfaces. And it could revolutionise the manufacture and use of several everyday products, particularly paints. You could have cars that don't need washing, house fronts that stay clean for years at an end, and even a reduction in the …
The West Nile virus, that led to the indiscriminate spraying of pesticides to combat the virus, has claimed its first victim: an 82-year-old-resident of New Jersey. New York was the first to go in for extensive spraying, much against the protests of environmentalists. "The control measures are probably ineffective, unnecessary …
your morning cup of Darjeeling tea could be lemon or honey flavoured. It could also be pesticide flavoured. That is because the tea estates in Darjeeling continue to use large amounts of pesticides to increase production. In turn, they perpetuate potential health hazards for the estate workers and the consumers, …
vultures are gregarious scavengers. They sit in large sized groups, hunched, looking for carrion. But soon there might not be enough of them surviving to perch in groups. High mortality rates have been recorded among several species of the vulture found in the country. A new study reveals that a …
friendly plastic: A new plastic made from plant sugar will be soon introduced in the market. The plastic called NatureWorks PLA is being manufactured by Cargill Dow Polymers, a Nebraska-based company. Unlike conventional plastic, NatureWorks can break down in a compost pile if subjected to the right combination of heat …
the west Nile virus has been making headlines in the us for quite some time now. Till now, three people, 213 birds and 114 mosquito pools have been reported infected with the virus in different parts of the country. It is believed that the virus, which killed seven people last …
friends of the Earth (foe) an international non-governmental organisation, is demanding that uk should ban the use of chlorpyrifos, the world's most commonly used insecticide. This demand was made in the wake of the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Pesticides ( acp ). According to the committee, the …
the Madhya Pradesh police has filed a case against the traders who distributed chemically-treated bajra seeds (pearl millet) to farmers in the Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. At least 80 peacocks had recently died in Maharajpura and Sitapur villages of Morena, after eating these contaminated seeds. According to officials, viscera …
Many fruits and vegetables are grown in wetlands of Bihar, the most important ones being makhana and singhara. Known as foxnut, makhana (Euryle ferox) is now gaining the status of a major cash crop. Bihar accounts for 75 per cent of country's total output. The fruit has a high nutritional …
Kawar Jheel Bird sanctuary, district Begusarai The Kawar lake, as notified "protected' by the state government on June 20, 1989, is 6311.63 hectares (ha). When it was notified, farmers opposed the move. Local politicians also supported them. "Even the former agriculture minister of Bihar, Ram Jeevan Singh, who is among …
The Sahanis are known as "masters of water'. This fishing community had been living in the wetlands of north Bihar for aeons, relying on them for sustenance. They did so by fishing or helping people cross the surging rivers that crisscross the floodplain. Or by displaying their art of trapping …
something as common and essential as atta (wheat flour) could be poisoned with pesticides. That's what is said in a new study conducted by the Consumer Education and Research Society, Ahmedabad. The study analysed 10 branded and three loose samples of atta collected from all over the country and found …
