The Ooty station of the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC) on Tuesday, conducted drone-based spray demonstrations of fungicides, on a 25-acre plot of land in Basavakkal village near Udhagamandalam. This move, warn conservationists, could led to an increase in the use of insecticides, pesticides and chemical fertilizers and pose a huge threat to biodiversity in the ecologically-sensitive Nilgiris district.
Somasundaram Jayaraman, head of the research centre of the ICAR-IISWC in Udhagamandalam told The Hindu that trials are going to be undertaken in Basavakkal and Doddanni villages. On Tuesday, around 25 acres of agricultural land were sprayed with fungicides, Mr. Jayaraman said, adding that farmers can avail of subsidies to purchase drones that can be used to spray insecticides, herbicides, fungicides or liquid fertilizers.
Mr. Jayaraman said the use of drones could offset the lack of labor available in tea estates and agricultural areas. He said drones can be used to spray around one acre of an area in around ten minutes, something that would take more than an hour, if done manually. “The technology is also more cost-efficient and uses less water,” he added.
However, conservationists and environmental activists across the Nilgiris have urged the district administration to intervene and stop the use of drones for aerial spraying.
According to V. Sivadass, founder of the Nilgiri Environment and Cultural Service Trust (NEST), the use of drones could lead to irreversible damage to the Nilgiris’ fragile ecology and unique biodiversity.
“The link between harmful pesticides and chemicals impacting birds and pollinating insects is already well established. At a time when the district administration is trying to convince the Nilgiris’ farmers into going fully organic, it is paradoxical to see such efforts being undertaken, which could undermine their efforts,” said Mr. Sivadass.
Mr. Sivadass said the Nilgiris’ bee populations as well as the population of other pollinating insects, such as butterflies, have witnessed steady declines over the last few decades due to the use of harmful chemicals for agricultural purposes and for controlling pests. “Aerial spraying will increase the impact of these chemicals and could also affect biodiversity in these areas as well as the surrounding reserve forests,” he said.
He also pointed to the effects of the aerial spraying of Endosulfan in Kasargod, Kerala impacting human populations, adding that residents too will be affected if approvals are given for the use of such technologies in the Nilgiris.
When asked, Mr. Jayaraman said the drones could also be used to spray organic fertilizers, and said that their use will be restricted to only agricultural areas and not near reserve forests. Users of the drones will also have to first approach the Collector for approval before they can be used, he added.
However conservationists say overseeing and monitoring the usage of the drones will prove to be an almost impossible task. “Once a person owns such a drone, he can use it at any time of the day, in any area, with little oversight from the authorities. “This can also potentially pose a hazard to wildlife as information about their movement, spotted through drones, could be passed on to poachers,” said another conservationist from the Nilgiris.
