At least five farmers and farm labourers took ill and died after being exposed to pesticides during spraying on cotton crop in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district in the last one month, local hospital authorities said.
While the Dean of the Yavatmal Government Medical College (GMC) put the death toll at five in the last one month, Kishor Tiwari, an activist and head of the state government's 'Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalamban Mission', a task force, said nine farmers died due to exposure to pesticides while spraying in the last 18 days in the district.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State Hansraj Ahir in a release said he had brought the situation to the notice of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
"Nine farmers took ill after spraying toxic pesticides on cotton crop and died in hospitals. Another 70 farmers are undergoing treatment at the GMC," Tiwari told PTI.
Farmers are forced to spray pesticides such as Profenofos as the crop is vulnerable to pests such as bollworm in the current weather, he said.
Dean of Yavatmal GMC Dr Ashok Rathod put the death toll at five. Farmers/labourers do not take precautions such as wearing masks and covering themselves and checking the wind direction while spraying, he claimed.
"At least five persons have died and over 160 have been treated in the hospital in the last one month," Dr Rathod said, adding that 25 patients are still undergoing treatment in the ICU and some of them are critical.
When contacted, collector Rajesh Deshmukh said that he had no confirmed figure of deaths due to pesticide poisoning, but had sought a report from the civil surgeon and the district health officer.
A press release from the office of Ahir, who represents neighbouring Chandrapur constituency, said he had brought the situation to the notice of the Maharashtra chief minister.
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