MP Kadiyam Kavya Urges Immediate Ban on Paraquat Dichloride Over Rising Health and Environmental Risks
Raising alarm in Parliament, Kadiyam Kavya highlights deadly impact of paraquat dichloride on farmers, public health, soil fertility and water contamination, demanding an urgent nationwide ban and safer alternatives.
- Paraquat Dichloride ban demand raised in Parliament
- Paraquat Dichloride harming health and environment
- Paraquat Dichloride linked to farmer deaths
A strong demand to prohibit the use of paraquat dichloride echoed in Parliament as MP Kadiyam Kavya called for immediate action, citing growing concerns over public safety and environmental damage. She urged the central government to impose a complete ban on the production, sale and usage of the chemical across the country.
Highlighting its severe consequences, Kavya explained that paraquat dichloride is not just a weed killing agent used in agriculture, but a toxic substance that contaminates soil, water and even air. She pointed out that excessive usage by farmers is gradually reducing soil fertility, while also seeping into groundwater and making it unsafe for consumption.
The MP stressed that the chemical indirectly enters the food chain, posing long term health risks to people. According to her, both environmental degradation and human health are being significantly affected, making it a serious public issue that cannot be ignored any longer.
She also raised a deeply concerning social angle, stating that paraquat dichloride has increasingly become a means for suicides in rural areas. Many individuals, often acting on impulse during personal distress, consume the chemical, leading to fatal outcomes. Kavya noted that the mortality rate in such cases is extremely high, nearly absolute, due to the absence of an effective antidote.
Even when victims are rushed to hospitals in time, doctors often struggle to save lives, she said, describing the situation as heartbreaking. Referring to incidents from her Warangal constituency and several districts in Telangana, she emphasized that many families have been affected by such tragedies.
Medical experts and the Indian Medical Association have already flagged the dangers associated with paraquat dichloride and recommended a ban. Kavya reiterated that protecting human life must be the top priority and called on the government to act without delay.
She further appealed for the promotion of safer and eco friendly alternatives, along with awareness programs to educate farmers about sustainable agricultural practices.
