Locust pesticide kills six employees due to exposure, Sindh
Employees fainted when the pesticide was being sprayed, upon which they were hurried to the hospitals.
Six employees of the Sindh Agriculture Department died in different areas of the province after exposure to an anti-locust pesticide, minister Ismail Rahoo said on Tuesday.
Ismail Rahoo’s Stance
According to minister Ismail Rahoo, the employees fainted while pesticide was being sprayed after which they were taken to the hospital.
He said four of them were also diagnosed with the coronavirus at hospitals, while two had suffered cardiac arrests, according to medical reports.
Rahoo said in a summary presented to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, he had requested that the deceased be declared “martyrs” and also urged the chief minister to provide jobs to their family members.
He said he had also requested the government to issue bonuses for those participating in the anti-locust spray campaign.
The campaign against locusts was started by the Sindh government last year in order to protect crops from attacks.
Effects of Locust pesticides on Human
Unfortunately, Pesticides target more than just pests. They are toxic, and exposure to pesticides can cause a number of health effects. They are linked to a range of serious illnesses and diseases from respiratory problems to cancer.
Pesticides can be acutely toxic. This means that they can cause harmful or lethal effects after a single episode of ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. The symptoms are evident shortly after exposure or can arise within 48 hours. They can present as respiratory tract irritation, sore throat and/or cough, allergic sensitization, eye and skin irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, loss of consciousness, extreme weakness, seizures, and/or death.
Locust Crisis
Locust swarms entered Baluchistan last year in March and spread to Sindh by June 2019. After summer breeding in Nara and Thar deserts of Sindh, locusts migrated to the Indian Rajasthan desert in July and re-entered in Sindh in October 2019, partially destroying the crop of wheat, mustard, and vegetables.
According to a report by the World Bank, Pakistan is located at a crossroads for the migration of desert locusts in South Asia. Therefore, effectively controlling the locust crisis is not only crucial for Pakistan itself but is critical for the entire Southwest Asia region.
