The Contact Group on endosulfan and new persistent organic pollutants to the Stockholm Convention, meeting in Geneva, has proceeded to prepare draft decisions for listing endosulfan for ban.
The group is also preparing a work programme to address alternatives. India and some other nations had earlier raised issue of lack of alternatives and non-availability of technology at the convention, according to information reaching here.
Discussions on Wednesday centred on how to list endosulfan sulphate, one of the degradation products of endosulfan, for ban and crop-pest complexes for exemption and assess alternatives to endosulfan. The conference is also working on improving the compliance mechanism for banned persistent organic pollutants and financial assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition to meet the treaty obligations.
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Meanwhile Dr. Mohammed Asheel of Kerala 92s Health Services, who is attending the conference as an independent observer, has sent a communication to the Kerala Health Minister P. K. Sreemathi mentioning instances of the organisations of the pesticide industry, present at the conference as observers, influencing the Indian delegation to the conference. The Indian delegates are just following their bosses in the pesticide industry, he criticised.