The human cost of a deadly weed killer, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• Telangana banned the sale, distribution, manufacture, and use of paraquat on March 31, 2026, becoming the third state after Kerala and Odisha.
• Paraquat is a highly toxic herbicide, often fatal upon ingestion, with no known antidote, causing severe organ damage.
• Accidental consumption, as in the case of Banoth Goud, often occurs due to storage in ordinary bottles.
• The Insecticides Act, 1968, is the primary law regulating such chemicals, but state-level bans face challenges, as seen with the Kerala High Court overturning a previous ban.
• Imports of paraquat into India significantly increased from 8,598 tonnes in 2019-20 to 20,786 tonnes in 2022-23.
• Doctors Against Paraquat, a movement led by Dr. Marri Mahesh Reddy, actively lobbied for the ban in Telangana.
• India, along with Guatemala, opposed listing paraquat under the Rotterdam Convention in May 2013, which would have required prior informed consent for trade.

Detailed Insights:

• Paraquat is a colourless and tasteless liquid, making accidental ingestion particularly dangerous when stored improperly.
• The chemical causes rapid and irreversible damage to organs like the kidneys, liver, and especially the lungs, leading to conditions like 'paraquat mouth'.
• Despite its high toxicity, paraquat is widely used due to its low price (₹280 per litre) and effectiveness as a weed killer, especially amidst rising labor shortages for manual weeding.
• Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad recorded 217 cases of paraquat poisoning in 2024-2025, with 94% being suicide cases and 54% involving farmers.
• The Kerala High Court overturned the state's 2011 ban on technical grounds, highlighting regulatory limitations under the Insecticides Act.
• Online availability of paraquat persists despite state bans, rendering them "bans on paper" without broader central regulation and e-commerce site involvement.
• Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI), which marketed paraquat as Gramoxone, was aware of its risks as early as 1987 but chose not to dilute it for commercial reasons.
• The Telangana Legislative Assembly passed a bipartisan resolution urging the Central government to implement a nationwide ban on paraquat.
• Post-ban data from Karimnagar shows a significant drop in paraquat-related deaths, from 30-50 per month to 3-5 per month.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Paraquat: A highly toxic, non-selective contact herbicide that destroys plant cell structures and has no known antidote for human poisoning.
• Insecticides Act, 1968: The central legislation in India that regulates the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution, and use of insecticides and pesticides.
• Rotterdam Convention: A multilateral environmental agreement promoting shared responsibilities in relation to the import of hazardous chemicals, requiring prior informed consent from importing countries.
• Non-selective contact herbicide: A type of herbicide that kills any plant part it touches, without targeting specific weed species, making it effective but also hazardous to non-target plants and organisms.