Chemicals

Although pesticides have been banned in Sri Lanka since 1996, imports from nearby countries is still legal., therefore allowing farmers to still purchase pesticides. Additionally, in times of rising food prices, farmers have found it expedient to utilize pesticides in order to ensure a successful crop harvest. Therefore, Motivation Sri Lanka is working to make farmers and other community members aware of the inherent health risks in using pesticides, while also being mindful of the current economic situation that may hamper ending the use of pesticides. One of the reasons why POPs is such a problem in the area is because farmers who use chemicals for their crops are unaware of their negative effects as well as alternative environmentally-safe methods. Additionally the runoff from the crops has contaminated the nearby streams that are used by the community both for drinking and for bathing. Motivation Sri Lanka has also brought a medical clinic to the area, offering check-ups to community members, as a way of understanding the effects pesticides has had on their health. This project will determine the baseline of chemical use in the project area, testing the water and soil samples. The project will also conduct awareness programmes for school children, housewives and government officials on the hazards of using persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The area of focus will be in Weligapola and all the data will be collected by the people.

Sri lanka