Ordinary people of the remote Padre village of Kasaragod district in Kerala along with NGOs have been at the forefront of a battle to ban the use of endosulfan, a toxic pesticide that has been used for decades in India. While the struggle to have this toxic substance banned continues nearly ten years after evidence first emerged from Kerala about its health impact, the government and the powerful pesticide lobby continue to be in denial about it.
Currently discussions are underway at the international level under the Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Rotterdam Convention on Prior Informed Consent for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade to either restrict or ban the use of endosulfan. India which participates in both dialogues is possibly the only country currently blocking a worldwide effort to restrict international trade in endosulfan despite 60 countries having banned its use.
Delhi based Centre for Science and Environment has been campaigning tirelessly since 2001 to have this toxic substance banned.
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