DNA Edit: Food Contamination - Polluted rivers affect the nation’s well-being

It’s hardly surprising that the toxic waters of the Yamuna, rendered poisonous by industrial effluents, had entered the human body through the vegetables grown on the floodplains.

Yamuna isn’t unique in this regard. Our rivers are polluted because the industries located on their banks disgorge untreated waste straight into the waters. In due course, the harmful chemicals — such as lead, mercury and arsenic — contaminate the soil and the agricultural produce and find their way into our digestive system.

The Cauvery, according to a government-funded Anna University study, carries a very high concentration of toxins. The Ganga is reduced to a toxic sludge as it labours its way through industrial towns and cities over a 2500-km journey to the sea.

While awareness of river water pollution has been painfully slow, people are virtually in the dark about how grains, fruits and vegetables have become carriers of poison. Since certification for agricultural produce for domestic consumption is mostly voluntary — the Food Safety and Standard Authorities of India (FSSAI) only insists AGMARK certification of some products like blended vegetable oil — there is hardly any quality control of the cereals and greens that enter the market, unless of course they are packaged as “organic”.

In the retail sector, ordinary vegetables and cereals sold in small quantities aren’t subjected to quality control. The overall thrust now is to move towards organic farming that discourages the use of harmful pesticides and chemicals. But given the price of organic vegetables, the common man battling inflation can rarely afford it. Though the exact burden of all food-borne illnesses in India has still not been estimated, it must be said that food contamination in India is also linked to the growing incidence of cancer and other diseases. Our sacred and much-loved rivers need to be rescued for our well-being.