Impact of Pesticide Usage on Water Resources: Indian Scenario

Abstract

The term Pesticide is generally used for agrochemicals which are important for crop protection. They are amongst the primary means required to sustain and improve the agricultural production. Crop production and their protection techniques play a very crucial role to meet the needs of a growing population. A significant part of entire food production is washed out owing to insect pests, plant pathogens, weeds, rodents, birds, nematodes in agricultural fields and when in storage. In last few decades pesticides industry has developed to a large extent and it contributes significantly towards India's agriculture and public health. However, use of pesticides causes both environmental and human health hazards. The toxic effect of a pesticide depends on nature of pesticide, means and period of exposure and its dose. Pesticides move through air, soil, and water, finding their way into living tissues, where they undergo biological modifications. So many cases of pesticide pollution in Indian river stretches, estuaries and drinking water have been reported. Water pollution in India with special reference to pesticides has been discussed in this review.

A Review on the Concentration of the Pesticides in Milk, Dairy Products, Vegetables and Fruits

“…Excessive use of the pesticides, the water solubility of pesticides, improper irrigation, and rainfall causes the leaching of pesticides in the groundwater (Rai & Pandey, 2017). Globally in more than 50% of the groundwater, the concentration of the pesticides is in excess than the permissible limits.…”