PATHANAMTHITTA: The Konni grama panchayat has drawn up a project to combat the Giant African Snails that have been plaguing the locality for the past three years.
Talking to The Hindu, panchayat secretary N.Haribalan said the local body would soon launch a snail eradication project for the next three years. The District Planning Committee had cleared the local body's snail eradication project estimated at Rs.6.4 lakh for the present fiscal, he said.
Due to the absence of a foolproof scientific measure, the panchayat had been carrying out a snail-eradication drive by engaging workers to manually collect the snails and then killing them by spraying salt or metaldehyde for the past three years.
Though the panchayat had spent Rs.1.27 lakh for snail eradication at the panchayat stadium engaging 30 women workers for 13 days a year ago, the problem had increased manifold now, Ratheeshbabu, a social activist, said.
Mr. Haribalan said the panchayat had passed a resolution seeking intervention of the government to contain the snail menace a year ago.
The Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala Agriculture University, and the Agriculture Department, which conducted studies, had come out with divergent views to combat the menace.
While experts attached to the KAU and the Agriculture Department felt the need to adopt chemical control methods to combat the menace, the KFRI maintained that spraying metaldehyde to kill the snails would impact the terrestrial and aquatic fauna and the excessive use of common salt would alter the soil structure, making it unfit for agriculture.
Local people are awaiting the response from Health Minister Adoor Prakash, who represents the constituency, as it had turned out to be a major public health problem in Konni.
Source: The Hindu, 04-07-2011
Talking to The Hindu, panchayat secretary N.Haribalan said the local body would soon launch a snail eradication project for the next three years. The District Planning Committee had cleared the local body's snail eradication project estimated at Rs.6.4 lakh for the present fiscal, he said.
Due to the absence of a foolproof scientific measure, the panchayat had been carrying out a snail-eradication drive by engaging workers to manually collect the snails and then killing them by spraying salt or metaldehyde for the past three years.
Though the panchayat had spent Rs.1.27 lakh for snail eradication at the panchayat stadium engaging 30 women workers for 13 days a year ago, the problem had increased manifold now, Ratheeshbabu, a social activist, said.
Mr. Haribalan said the panchayat had passed a resolution seeking intervention of the government to contain the snail menace a year ago.
The Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala Agriculture University, and the Agriculture Department, which conducted studies, had come out with divergent views to combat the menace.
While experts attached to the KAU and the Agriculture Department felt the need to adopt chemical control methods to combat the menace, the KFRI maintained that spraying metaldehyde to kill the snails would impact the terrestrial and aquatic fauna and the excessive use of common salt would alter the soil structure, making it unfit for agriculture.
Local people are awaiting the response from Health Minister Adoor Prakash, who represents the constituency, as it had turned out to be a major public health problem in Konni.
Source: The Hindu, 04-07-2011
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