United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that half a million tonnes of obsolete pesticides are scattered throughout the developing world.
Obsolete pesticides being destroyed in Korogwe District.
These toxic chemicals, often stored outdoors in leaking containers, are seeping into the soil and water, causing serious health and environmental concerns. Tanzania is one of the countries that are seriously affected by this problem and according to an inventory conducted in 2008, the country’s obsolete pesticides stock reached 1,500, 000 kilogrammes.
An earlier inventory carried between 1997 and 2000 identified 1,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticides stocks in 350 sites and 200 tonnes of veterinary waste. In the wake of the looming disaster in Tanzania and elsewhere on the continent, Africa Stockpiles Programme (ASP) was launched in 2005.
This is a continent-wide stockpiles project which evolved substantially into a multi-stakeholder partnership from informal discussions between non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and several intergovernmental organisations (IGOs). ASP was formed with the intention of among others to clean up and safely dispose of all obsolete pesticide stocks from Africa, and to establish preventive measures to avoid future accumulation.
Tanzania is one of the seven countries that implemented the ASP. Other countries are Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia. ASP Tanzania Chapter Chairperson, Dr Vera Ngowi, says obsolete pesticides are pesticides that can no longer be used for their intended purpose or any other purposes and, therefore, require proper disposal.
She lists among the key factors that contribute to the accumulation of obsolete pesticides in the country as inappropriate procurement processes through central purchasing that leads to unwanted stocks as farmers are unable or decline to use, due to timing of purchases, pack size, poor labeling, or lack of suitable application equipment.
Other contributing factors include untimely distribution whereby excessive delays in moving products from ports to warehouses and subsequently to farmers results in missed applications and unused quantities at the end of the season; inadequate storage and stock management; donation in excess of need; Lack of coordination between donor agencies; and pesticides banned for environmental or health reasons remained unused and deteriorated over time.
According to an ASP survey, drums of pesticides in the country were often found stored in the open and were exposed to harsh weather conditions which accelerated the wear and tear of containers; resulting to them leaking their liquid contents into the soil, eventually severely contaminating groundwater and the environment. The powder contents of worn or torn bags were often dispersed into the environment by wind or rain.
Most stores were also found in the centres of populated urban areas or close to public dwellings or bodies of water. The new inventory conducted in 2009 found 700 tonnes of publicly held pesticides in 135 sites and estimated 600 tonnes of heavily contaminated soil in 14 sites. Indeed for Tanzania and other developing countries, the elimination of these dangerous stocks must be made a development priority. Rural communities cannot hope to develop if soil and water are contaminated with pesticides.
It goes without saying that people can’t prosper if they are suffering from severe illnesses caused by pesticide poisoning. These illnesses include cancers, kidney failure and infertility. Encouragingly, FAO’s Programme on Prevention and Disposal of Obsolete Pesticides is working to inform the world about the dangers of obsolete pesticide stocks.
It collaborates with developing countries to prevent more obsolete pesticides from accumulating and assists them dispose of their existing stockpiles. The disposal of obsolete pesticides has especially proven to be a big challenge to Tanzania and other countries on the continent due to limited technology and funds. In the wake of that reality prevention remains the better and more feasible solution.
Authorities must carefully study factors that lead to pesticides becoming obsolete and work hard at addressing them. Farmers must also be educated on proper use and storage of pesticides to avert becoming health and environmental disasters.
Recent efforts by the ASP (T) Network to train local government officers and science secondary school teachers both in the Northern and Southern Highlands must be sustained and expanded to incorporate more stakeholders. As the FAO has pointed out, the only way we can permanently eliminate these dangers posed by expired and unwanted pesticide stocks is to make sure that no more stocks accumulate.
That’s why it is essential to understand the reasons behind the buildup of existing obsolete pesticide stockpiles. The UN body has fittingly quoted Spanish philosopher George Santayana who said, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
By CHABY BARASA, Tanzania Daily News
