Status of insecticide contamination of soil and water in Haryana, India

Twelve samples each of soil and ground water were collected from paddy-wheat, paddy-cotton, sugarcane fields and tube wells from same or near by fields around Hisar, Haryana, India during 2002-2003 to monitor pesticide residues. Residues were estimated by GC-ECD and GC-NPD systems equipped with capillary columns for organochlorine, synthetic pyrethroid and organophosphate insecticides. In soil, HCH (0.002-0.051 μg g-¹), DDT (0.001-0.066 μg g-¹), endosulfan (0.002-0.039 μg g-¹) and chlordane (0.0002-0.019 μg g-¹) among organochlorines, cypermethrin (0.001-0.035 μg g-¹) and fenvalerate (0.001-0.022 μg g-¹) among synthetic pyrethroids and chlorpyriphos (0.002-0.172 μg g-¹), malathion (0.002-0.008 μg g-¹), quinalphos (0.001-0.010 μg g-¹) among organophosphates were detected. Dominant contaminants were DDT, cypermethrin and chlorpyriphos from the respective groups. In water samples, HCH, DDT, endosulfan and cypermethrin residues were observed frequently. Only chlorpyriphos among organophosphates was detected in 10 samples. On consideration of tube well water for drinking purpose, about 80% samples were found to contain residues above the regulatory limits.