NEW DELHI: A collective of organisations and individuals working across India on snake conservation, ecological research, community education, rural healthcare and farmer safety has urged the Centre that any device meant for snakebite prevention should undergo independent scientific evaluation before large-scale promotion.
Referring to the recently introduced “Kisan Mitra Chhadi,” positioned as a tool to detect or deter snakes in agricultural fields by Union Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the experts stressed the need to prioritise proven, low-cost preventive measures. These include behavioural awareness, use of protective gear, habitat management, maintaining cleanliness, and ensuring timely medical care, especially in rural areas.
In a letter dated April 20, they said, in the "absence of peer-reviewed evidence and field testing, such tools may create a false sense of security - leading farmers to rely on them instead of following proven safety measures like wearing protective footwear, using adequate lighting, storing materials safely and seeking timely medical care."
India accounts for an estimated 58,000 snakebite deaths annually, with several hundred thousand cases of disability each year. Many incidents occur among farmers and agricultural workers during activities such as harvesting, irrigation or walking through fields at night.
“While innovations aimed at farmer safety are welcome, it is critical that any device intended for snake detection or deterrence be supported by rigorous, peer-reviewed scientific validation under field conditions,” the letter said.
“We request for this evidence to be made publicly available, or, in the absence of such evidence, there is a risk that farmers may develop a false sense of security and inadvertently reduce adherence to proven risk-reduction practices such as use of protective footwear, adequate lighting, safe storage practices, and timely access to medical care,” the experts stressed.
They added that current scientific understanding does not support the existence of simple, portable devices that can reliably detect snakes at a distance or universally deter them through vibration or similar mechanisms across species and ecological contexts.
“Behavioural responses of snakes vary widely, and interventions must be carefully tested before large-scale promotion,” said the letter signed by Sumanth Bindumadhav, Jose Louise, Gerard Navin Martin, Nirmal Kulkarni, Priyank Kadam, Romulus Whitaker, Gnaneswar Ch, and Kedar Bhide.
They noted that snakebite remains an under-recognised occupational hazard for agricultural communities, disproportionately affecting economically vulnerable populations. Beyond mortality, it leads to loss of income, high medical expenses, long-term disability, and debt.
“Snakebite disproportionately affects economically vulnerable populations. Beyond mortality, it leads to loss of income, high medical expenditure, long-term disability, and debt. In this context, it is especially important that farmers are not encouraged to invest in tools whose effectiveness has not been independently verified."
The experts also referred to the National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE), led by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which focuses on evidence-based interventions, coordination, and community education.
They said the ministry has a key role in promoting risk-reduction practices among farmers and emphasised that public communication about such tools should reflect the current state of evidence to avoid unintended risks.
The group also expressed readiness to work with the ministry to support evidence-based, scalable, and farmer-focused snakebite prevention strategies based on education and behaviour change.