On Environmental Health Crisis In Punjab
By Umendra Dutt & Dr Amar Singh Azad
17 September, 2011
Countercurrents.org
Kheti Virasat Mission's Response to Punjab Pollution Control Board's Workshop on Prevalence of Cancer in Punjab jointly issued by Umendra Dutt , Executive Director and Dr Amar Singh Azad, Working President, KVM
Punjab Pollution Control Board organised a workshop on “Prevalence of Cancer in Punjab” on 12.9.2011 at Shivalik Hotel, Chandigarh. It had a prior fixed notion that the number of cancer cases in Punjab has not increased as is being put up by some NGOs and the media. Meaning thereby that there is nothing to worry about and unnecessary scare is being created by the NGOs and media. It had also a fixed notion that environmental toxicity has nothing to do with the prevalence of cancers which, according to PPCB, are actually caused by tobacco and alcohol consumption.
The official version of Punjab government was also shared that industry's contribution to environmental/ water pollution was only 20 per cent while 80 per cent is contributed by city/ town sewers. Another important point in the official version was that agro chemicals are unavoidable and we have to use them to feed the people of our country. One more important point in the official version was that uranium found in the environment of Punjab is no problem at all and we should not bother about it. Unnecessary scare is being created by some NGOs and the media, it said.
All these points were thoroughly discussed in the seminar/ workshop. Official versions were seriously questioned/ challenged by participants. Very sound arguments were given to prove that all these versions do not match with the latest research in our country and other countries including USA and Europe. While releasing the conclusions of the workshop only official version based on archaic and partial understanding was given to the media. These views are outdated and have been repeatedly proved wrong. The views of large number of workshop participants were blacked out from the public. As a result very wrong and distorted message has been conveyed to the people of Punjab/ India. To put the record straight we briefly give the opinions of those who differed with the official version.
1. Regarding Number of Cases of Cancer in Punjab: There are no authentic figures of cancer cases with health department. No data regarding the prevalence of cancer cases 20-30 years back is there. Similarly no data is available about the prevalence of cancer cases now. Whatever figures are available are hospital based figures. Nobody has ever seriously tried to analyse even this data comparing the cancer cases 30 years back and now. There is no population-based registry in any region of Punjab at present which can only be the authentic source of data on Cancers in Punjab or Malwa region of the state. The only study regarding prevalence of cancers was done by PGI Chandigarh. The original study (we have a copy) showed clearly that cancer prevalence in Malwa was double as compared to rest of Punjab. Cancer patients from Malwa are going to Rajasthan to get free treatment. The analysis of the data of these hospitals showed clearly that the prevalence of toxicity-related cancers is much more than tobacco-related cancers. We can not form an authentic view about the prevalence of cancers in Malwa or Punjab in the absence of studies and a well maintained Community Based Cancer Registry. The media has projected the voice of people and NGOs which is based on the increased number of cases as compared to 20-30 years back which no study/department has ever tried to verify. Even the illiterate villages are able to appreciate the tremendous increase in the prevalence of cancers and other serious illnesses in these villages. Strangely those at the helm of affairs in administrative and political circles do not want to acknowledge this.
2. Environmental Toxicity and Cancers: Cancer is not a single disease. There are three distinct types of cancers depending on the causation: One those associated with use of tobacco; second-those which are associated with pesticides and other environmental toxins and third are those associated with radiations. The cancers associated with tobacco consumption are less in Punjab as compared to rest of the country because of the less consumption of tobacco here. The prevalence of toxicity-related cancers is much more in the state. There are clear indications of genetic mutations and lowered immunity which means that the number of cancer cases will increase even more in the future.
Moreover, cancer is not an acute ailment which comes as a dramatic epidemic and then goes away when the cause is removed. Cancers are caused by 15-20 years of constant exposure to carcinogenic chemicals/ radiations. But once they start coming they will go on rising for decades and centuries to come even if the cause has been removed. One more fact to remember is that if an individual is exposed to carcinogenic chemicals/ radiations, the possibility of developing cancer will not be the sum total of the two. A well-known example is of a smoker who has 11 times greater risk of developing lung cancer as compared to a non-smoker while a man working in asbestos industry has five times the risk faced by a non-worker. A worker in asbestos workers who smokes should have 16 times the possibility of developing lung cancer. But actually it is 55 times. This means that a smoker of a community affected by toxicity has much more chances of developing tobacco-based cancers as compared to a member of a community not affected by toxicity and vice versa.
3. Industrial Pollution is not a serious issue: The rulers are trying to sell the idea that we need not be serious about industrial pollution but focus our selves on developing treatment plants for cities and towns. It is not the question of quantity of waste water which is being discharged into fresh water sources but the quality. The city sewers, if they contain only domestic waste water, do not contain much of dangerous chemicals except synthetic detergents and plastic. But the reality is that many industries also discharge their waste water into the city sewers making them highly poisonous. The domestic water contains human and animal excreta. It can cause infectious diseases but can not change the chemical composition of the water. Today, the bigger problem in Punjab is the dangerous chemicals in the water which come only from industries. The official version that 80 per cent pollution is being caused by domestic waste is a naked lie being propagated to hide the criminal behavior of our industries and our politicians/ bureaucrats who provide them immunity for committing grave crimes against the humanity and nature. Several industries are either using old and outdated techniques to process their waste or are manufacturing such toxic wastes which cannot even be processed. They will have to stop using these techniques. The problem of industrial waste water is highly complex and each industry has to be dealt individually. Many industries which are doing more harm than good should be closed down to save the environment as well as human lives.
4. Uranium found in the environment/ water of Punjab is not a serious problem: Recently, uranium has been detected in significantly higher concentrations than the safe limits. Instead of finding the source of the uranium, the PPCB is trying to propagate the idea that there is nothing serious about it with the help of a research done by a physicist from the Panjab University. Punjab government / PPCB should try to understand the problem much more seriously than depending on just a single research study with superficial and one sided arguments. Two senior scientists with experience in studying the consequences of coal-based thermal power plants vehemently opposed the research study at the seminar but their opinion were totally ignored by the PPCB as is evident from the official versions released to the media. We should seriously and sincerely do some in-depth research into the impact of excessive amounts of uranium found in the water / environment. If thermal plants are responsible for the crisis, we should oppose the proposed installation of so many new coal based thermal power plants in a small state like Punjab. Many previous studies done in USA and Europe have found a link between coal and uranium. A recent study done at Chandrapur Super Thermal Plant in Maharashtra found that burning of too much coal causes very serious pollution and also leads to increase in deposits of Uranium in the environment.
5. Agro Chemical – Pesticides are un avoidable: This is a lie which has been spoken so often that it seems true to all of us. No agricultural university in India including PAU Ludhiana has ever tried to conduct a parallel research on non-chemical agricultural practices. When too many studies have indicted pesticides and synthetic fertilisers for causing grave damage to human/ animal health and environment, NGOs and agricultural scientists started to experiment with organic/ natural farming. Now on the initiative of NGOs it has been proven beyond any doubt that agrochemicals are not needed for producing crops. It has been proved in lakhs of acres of land that organic and natural farming is not only sustainable but is urgently needed in all the countries including India. Even Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has categorically stated that entire humanity can be fed on organic without any serious consequence.
There is a serious degradation of environment of Punjab with grave consequences for the health of humans/ animals, biodiversity, natural resources and other socio-economic / cultural aspects. We are amidst a serious environmental toxicity and civilisational crisis. We should not try to avoid and postpone the search for truth. We must launch a JAN ANDOLAN to mitigate and find a permanent solution.
Kheti Virasat Mission is going to organise a two-day workshop on ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AND ITS SOCIOPOLITICAL SOLUTIONS on 30-31st October at CRRID, Chandigarh. All political parties, social, cultural organisations, NGOs, farmer organisations and individuals will participate. The purpose is to try and make Environmental Degradation an ELECTION ISSUE in the upcoming ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS.
Umendra Dutt Executive Director, Kheti Virasat Mission , [email protected] ,
Dr Amar Singh Azad , Working President, KVM [email protected]
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