Punjab government has banned dangerous pesticides

Have banned dangerous pesticides: State to NHRC Following directions from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in respect of growing cancer incidence on account of indiscriminate use of pesticides in Punjab, the state government has banned the manufacture, import and use of pesticides injurious to health. Responding to the NHRC orders, the Punjab Government has informed the commission that it has “banned the manufacture, import and use of pesticides which are very injurious to health, withdrawn registration of some such pesticides and restricted the use of other hazardous pesticides.” The state also told the commission that it was educating farmers on the judicious use of pesticides. The state’s response follows NHRC's suo motu cognizance of reports that excessive use of pesticides was causing cancer among the farmers of Punjab’s Malwa region who had to travel to Bikaner in Rajasthan for treatment. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120421/punjab.htm#5 Don't dump debris on Hindon river bed: Tribunal The National Green Tribunal has banned the dumping of debris and waste material on the Hindon riverbed resulting in hindrance to the natural flow of water near the site of a new bridge over the river in Ghaziabad, a lawyer said Sunday. The petitioners have alleged that the construction of an artificial embankment for the bridge was causing environmental damage by adversely affecting the normal flow of the river water. "Considering the submissions made and the allegations levelled, we feel, in order to protect the biodiversity and pollution it would be just and proper to direct the authorities to prohibit dumping of any debris and waste materials on the river bed, thereby causing hindrance to the natural flow of water," the tribunal said in its order April 18. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/Dont-dump-debris-on-Hindon-river-bed-Tribunal/articleshow/12827279.cms Uranium not responsible for dying fish: Meghalaya The Meghalaya government on Friday denied a report that fish in the State's Ranikor river were dying due to exploratory drilling for uranium ore and claimed the water had turned toxic from substances used by local people for fishing.“The fish have died not due to exploratory drilling for uranium ore but due to the toxicity of the river where local people use toxic substances for catching fish,” Deputy Chief Minister Bindo M. Lanong said.“If uranium radiation was the cause of the deaths, all other aquatic life forms there would have also been affected and there would have been lesions on the fish,” Mr. Lanong, who looks after the mining and geology department, said following an interim report submitted by two geologists.Thousands of dead fish have been found floating in the Ranikor since April 13, prompting the government to conduct an inquiry. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3337722.ece 80% city hospitals flout bio-waste disposal norms Hazardous waste, that’s so dangerous it needs to be incinerated at 900 degrees Celsius, is not segregated at source ♦ Disposal agency official says they hardly receive used syringes and saline bottles, raises fears that these are recycled in the marketweek after Mirror reported how medical waste from a hospital ended up on a Byculla footpath, the nodal agency for collecting hazardous materials has revealed that the problem of improper disposal pervades nearly the entire hospital system. BMC-appointed SMS Envoclean claims 80 per cent of Mumbai's hospitals (public and private) don't segregate their refuse - from syringes, blood-soaked gauze pieces to intravenous drips - seriously compromising efforts to keep infections away from the city's streets and citizens.Waste from clinics and hospitals, where infections and drug-resistant bacteria are becoming increasingly common, poses serious health risks. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article§id=15&contentid=2012041520120415205345578a8a99f3f