Telangana Assembly’s Paraquat ban brings cheer to Mancherial doctors

A sustained campaign by doctors in Telangana under the banner Doctors Against Paraquat Poison (DAPP) has led to the State Assembly passing a resolution banning the toxic herbicide Paraquat Dichloride. Despite existing restrictions, the chemical was widely available in fertiliser shops, leading to hundreds of deaths annually.

Mancherial: A campaign launched by the doctor fraternity from the State in 2024 yielded a positive result with the Telangana Assembly passing a resolution banning herbicide Paraquat Dichloride on Monday.

Dr Ch Rakesh, a Nephrologist and Dr Anil, a general physician, both from this town, were among a group of doctors who launched a campaign titled Doctors Against Paraquat Poison (DAPP). They gathered victims of Paraquat across various districts and created awareness among the public, prompting the State to pass a resolution prohibiting the herbicide in Telangana.

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Anil said that passing a resolution by the Telangana Legislative Assembly banning Paraquat was a good sign. The herbicide is highly toxic that has claimed lives of thousands of people in the state over a period of time. The Centre must give its nod to the request of Telangana and extend its cooperation in preventing deaths caused by consumption of the herbicide, he opined.

“Despite restrictions on sale of the herbicide, Paraquat is at present openly being sold at fertiliser stores. Farmers buy the herbicide for controlling weed and crop desiccation. However, distressed farmers tend to die by consuming the herbicide following the financial crisis caused crop damage and poor yield,” Anil, joint secretary of DAPP remarked, adding Mancherial district alone sees at least 20 deaths per annum.

Members of the body said that the herbicide is extremely poisonous and no antidote was discovered so far. They stated that the chemical was restricted to licensed traders, but unauthorized dealers were selling it to farmers. Minimal ingestion or exposure to the herbicide is fatal. Consumption of Paraquat is linked to Parkinson’s disease, they reasoned.