Environmentalists and activists from the city have urged the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to ban the use of glyphosate for checking the growth of water hyacinth in water bodies due to its dangerous impact on human health and aquatic life.
“A toxic weedicide called glyphosate is making inroads into our rivers and lakes. Glyphosate is used to control water hyacinth. But the actual reason for proliferation of water hyacinth is the unregulated discharge of raw sewage into our rivers,” said environmentalists representing over a dozen NGOs in a joint communication to CPCB and MPCB.
The NGOs have urged the pollution control boards to take necessary action to stop the use of glyphosate and weedicides in rivers and send a Special Inquiry Team to look into this matter.
They said glyphosate has been linked to probable carcinogenicity, endocrine disruption, kidney and liver damage, reproductive health problems and neurological effects. “While a threat on the health front for humans, it also poses a greater threat to aquatic life and our river ecosystem. The continuous use of glyphosate also means groundwater quality will be at risk and this damage could be irreversible,” they said.
Source: The Indian Express
