7th July 2022
The Central Insecticide Board (CIB) has clarified in 2019 that spraying pesticides with drones is illegal in India. It further clarified that aerial application of pesticides need approval/permission from the Central Insecticide Board and no approval has been granted in the past. Meanwhile, various government institutions and drone companies seemed to be encouraging such kind of spraying oblivious to the illegality of such spraying.
Recently the Plant Protection Division of Department Of Agriculture And Farmers Welfare has issued standard Operating Procedure and approved a list of pesticide formulations for drone spraying. However, the relevant legislation on aerial spraying is also lacking in India.
Aerial spraying impacts a larger area, and is not limited to target pests. Weather and wind conditions add to the spread of chemicals. Spray drift takes the fine hazardous chemical beyond the range of application. Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles can be hazardous tools for spraying hazardous chemicals, in many ways, most importantly the ecology.
Application of chemical pesticides being the predominant mode of pest control in India, use of drones for pesticide application, would end up in dangerous situation, which the agricultural department or farmers or general population would not have any control. Exposure to people and public health as well as environmental contamination is major concerns as aerial spraying of pesticides is point source pollution.
In this light, Pesticide Action Network India organised a webinar titled ‘Drone based pesticide applications: implications on health and regulation’ on 7thJuly 2022 from 4 pm to 6 pm.
