Manipal, December 21: The consequence of endosulfan spray on cashew gardens in coastal district Karnataka is no less than that of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984, said Dr Vaman Acharya, Chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
Speaking after inaugurating a three-day international conference on “Environment and occupation health” organised by Manipal University, the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad, and the Regional Occupational Health Centre (ROHC), here on Thursday he said that the KSPCB had named Mangalore and Bhadravati as “critically polluted” cities in the State.
Dr. Acharya said the pollution might be because of the presence of some industries in these cities. A conclusive study needed to be done to link the pollution to such industries. Discharge of effluents from some industries in places such as Harihar and Dandeli to the nearby rivers had affected marine life in them.
There were 45 lakh vehicles in Bangalore alone. This meant that one in two persons in Bangalore owned a vehicle. These vehicles gave out toxic fumes, which affected the environment. The change in environment was having an impact on the health of the people.
But when compared with the Western countries, the pollution in India was far less. “We should not go the way of these advanced countries in generating pollution. We should strive to make the world a better and environmentally friendly place to live in,” he said.
When the industrial revolution began in England in 18th Century, pollution problems began with it. The Green Revolution in India, which was once praised, had brought pollution-related problems with it. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy in 1984 was one of the worst industrial disasters in the world. Thousands of people had died and nearly five lakh people were affected by the tragedy.
This had led to the passing of Environment Protection Act in the country.
The aerial spraying of the insecticide over cashew plantations in Dakshina Kannada district had created a massive health problem. The indiscriminate mining activities in Bellary district and neighbouring areas had wiped out dense forest areas in Bellary, Sandur, Tumkur, and Chitradurga.
In Udupi district, there were allegations of pollution against the 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power plant of Udupi Power Corporation Ltd (UPCL). These allegations were related to disposal of fly ash and felling of trees to lay power transmission lines from Udupi to Shantigrama in Hassan district, Mr. Acharya said.
H. Vinod Bhat, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Manipal University, P.K. Nag, Director of NIOH, Ahmedabad, H.R. Rajmohan, officer incharge of ROHC, Bangalore; Nalini Sukumar, Professor at University of Alabama, Birmingham, U.S.; and Ramachandra Kamath, Head of the Department of Public Health, Manipal University, were present.
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