Kathmandu. The Birendranagar Municipality has tightened the testing of vegetables after highly pesticide residues were found entering the district. Vegetables used in the municipality are easily supplied to the kitchens of the people of Karnali every day.
The Birendranagar Municipality has intensified the testing of vegetables from Birendranagar to other districts of Karnali district, citing that it may have a serious impact on the health of the people. Excessive use of pesticides has been found in the vegetables imported to Birendranagar. The cauliflower imported to Surkhet from Gurans Rural Municipality of Dailekh district has been found to contain up to 95 per cent organophosphate pesticide. Dhan Singh Dhami, deputy technical assistant of the laboratory, said that even touching this amount of pesticide can affect health. “Presence of 95 per cent pesticides in cauliflower is equivalent to consuming poison in Sindh,” he said.
Tomato imported from Bardiya was found to contain 54 per cent pesticides while cauliflower imported from Surkhet district was found to contain 46 per cent. According to agricultural experts, vegetables with more than 45 per cent pesticides should be included in the list of ‘not fit to eat’ and should be destroyed. Such vegetables, which reach the market within a few days of spraying pesticides, are acting as a poison on human health.
Organophosphate pesticides, in particular, have serious effects on the nervous system, fertility and kidneys. In the long run, doctors warn that it can lead to incurable diseases like cancer. The Birendranagar Municipality has been confiscating and destroying vegetables that have been tested positive for pesticides. Dhami said that most of the samples tested in a week have exceeded the level of pesticide.
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