SIRSI/KARWAR : The ghost of endosulfan has reappeared. The number of endosulfan victims in Uttara Kannada has increased over the years, as per a survey by the district health department. The shocking deformities among people in the late 1990s and early 2000s, due to endosulfan being sprayed on cashew plantations, had shaken up the state.
After the High Court issued an order, the state government came out with a relief package. A committee was constituted to identify the victims, compensate them and ensure healthcare. It was believed the trauma of endosulfan’s effects would soon be history, but on the contrary, the Uttara Kannada health department has found new cases of endosulfan victims.
A survey conducted in Ankola, Bhatkal, Honnavar, Kumta, Sirsi and Siddapur revealed there are 543 new cases identified in the past six months. “We have been conducting surveys for six months, and identified 543 completely new cases in Uttara Kannada in the five endosulfan-affected taluks.
Among those affected are 10 persons under the age of 25, 118 people between 25 and 60 years of age, and 418 above 60 years,” said Shankar Rao, acting District Health Officer, Uttara Kannada district.
Expressing shock over the findings, Venkatesh Naik, Director of Skodways, the organisation working for the rehabilitation of endosulfan victims, said, “It is shocking to learn that despite a ban, endosulfan is still in use. We urge the government to announce a special package to rehabilitate these new victims,” he said.
Naik thanked District In-charge Minister Mankal Vaidya for ensuring a new survey to identify the endosulfan victims. The district had, way back in the early 2000s, identified 1,848 cases of endosulfan victims, of which 249 died and 1554 remained under treatment.