PESTICIDES are being used on a large scale in our agriculture sector to control pests or weeds. These are very harmful for human health. According to a UN report, an average of about 200,000 people die in the world yearly from exposure to pesticides. Pesticides can save farmers’ money by preventing crop losses but its secondary harmful effects have a long-term impact. There are serious illnesses and health issues with suspected links to pesticides, including cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, hormone disruption, birth defects, sterility, and neurological effects.

Pesticides have also adverse effects on the environment. These are one of the causes of water pollution, and some pesticides are organic pollutants and contribute to soil contamination. Pesticides sprayed on crops frequently pollute the surrounding ecosystem and beyond, with unpredictable ecological consequences.

Moreover, reductions in pest populations upset the complex balance between predator and prey species in the food chain. There is a dire need for creating awareness among agriculturists, farmers and the common people to about using alternatives to pesticides. They would have to adopt methods of cultivation which include biological pest controls such as pheromones and microbial pesticides, genetic engineering, and methods of interfering with insects breeding.

Engr. Mansoor Ahmed

Faisalabad

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2017