Kasaragod: Allegation of Endosulfan burial in wells; Probe team orders excavation

The team of the central government, probing the allegations that barrels with pesticide endosulfan were buried in wells, has issued a directive to excavate five closed wells in estates of the State Horticulture Corporation in Kasaragod up to a depth of 100 meters.

The investigation aims to confirm whether the pesticide has indeed been buried in the area.

The complaint, received by the National Green Tribunal, alleges that endosulfan was deposited in the well of Minchipada within the estate of the Horticulture Department in Kasaragod.

Responding to the complaint, a team led by Dr. J Chandrababu, Director of the Southern Zone of the Central Pollution Control Board, arrived in Kasaragod on December 28, 2023, to conduct a thorough examination of the complaint.

Local residents have claimed that during the period from 1983 to 2001, when endosulfan was in use in the district, five wells belonging to the Kasaragod Horticulture Department were filled with barrels of endosulfan and subsequently closed off.

It is reported that approximately 280 barrels of endosulfan were utilized in Kasaragod district, with 20 barrels currently located in the corporation’s Adur estate. However, the whereabouts of the remaining barrels remain unclear.