The bio-remediation technology will restore the natural health of pesticide contaminated soils by using specific inoculation of previously enriched pesticide degrading bacteria. The most commonly used pesticide in India is HCH (hexacholorocyclohexane), and TERI's researchers are specifically trying to find a bio-remediation therapy for this broad spectrum pesticide.

The HCH that is used currently is the gamma version. HCH is a form of BHC, the pesticide which was banned in 1997. TERI researchers says DDT, HCH, aldarin and endosulfan are banned in the US and despite their ban in India, 70 per cent of the pesticides used are DTT, HCH (gamma version) and malathin. ``The pesticides banned in India continue to flow into the market despite government notifications. The small farmers prefer to use them because they are cost-effective, are easily available and display a wide spectrum of bioactivity,''says Dr N Ramesha, research associate, TERI. TERI researchers are working on finding pesticidal properties in plant species beyond neem. ``Many species are reported to have pesticidal activity. But their potential is yet to be explored. The gauva family is being explored as an alternative biological pesticide,'' he says.

India's consumption of pesticides is much lower than Korea or Japan. India uses 0.5 kg/ hectare of pesticide compared with Korea's 6.60 kg per hectare or Japan's 12 kg/ hectare. Despite the comparatively low use of pesticides, the contamination of food products is very high, says TERI. About 20 per cent of Indian food products contain pesticides residues above the tolerance level of 2 per cent. No residue is found only in 49 per cent of Indian food products compared with 80 per cent globally. ``This is because of the non judicious use of pesticides, lack of awareness, and inadequate information dissemination among the farming community,'' Dr Ramesha says.

Pesticides can cause damage to the health, such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer and other effects. The World Health Organization estimates that one million pesticide poisoning cases and 20,000 deaths due to pesticide poisoning occur every year globally.

Organochlorines, the main class of pesticides that are responsible for the contamination, are the most widely used pesticides in India. The problem with organochlorines is that they are carbon-based substances that have one or more chlorine atoms. They are very persistent, lasting in the world for years before degrading. Unfortunately, 40 per cent of all the pesticides used in India are organochlorines. Another 30 per cent belong to the organophosphate category, which are also highly hazardous. Only 5 per cent of the pesticide used belong to the safe and non-chemical categories.

``It is very essential now than before to find a viable alternative or farmers will continue to depend upon cheap, yet hazardous pesticides,'' says Dr Ramesha.