Farmers here are seen busy in spraying pesticides on paddy farms without taking any precautions and it is enough to say they are not serious towards negative impact of unsafe use of pesticides on human health. [break]
Rekha Paswan, 25, of Itatar was found busy in spraying pesticides on paddy crops with bare hands and uncovered mouth. Covering the mouth and wearing gloves is a must while spraying chemicals substances on crops to ward off its negative on health. Rekha said that it was a compulsion for her to spry pesticides on paddy crops after insects attack the crops.
Farmers of Itatar have been using pesticides for the past 11 years to protect crops from pests and insects. Rekha is just an example as almost all farmers in Siraha have no way except to using chemical substances to kill pests. Although, they are aware that rampant use of pesticides is not friendly to human health, they have neglected this fact as they want to protect the crops from pests at any cost.
According to agro vets, using pesticides without precautions causes both short and long-term impact on human health. They suggest to farmers to adopt precautions while using it.
Rekha said she sometimes suffers dizziness and headache after spraying pesticides on crops.
It is learnt that use of pesticides is rampant this year is Siraha as paddy cultivation has been done only on 40 per cent land due to lack of timely rainfalls. Farmers want to increase the rice production at any cost to prevent possible risk of food crisis, said a farmer Madhav Thapaliya of Golbazaar.
However, crops officer at the District Agriculture Development Office, Siraha, Genilal Yadav, suggest farmers consult with the office to protect crops from insects rather than using pesticides haphazardly.
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