Shri Purushan Eloor hails from the Indian state of Kerala’s Eloor Edayar area, one of the world’s “toxic hotspots.” An embattled activist, he has at last come to join people from other nations in the call to junk what he blames for industrial pollution in his homeland: the World Trade Organization (WTO) and intensive globalisation.

Shri Purushan came to the People’s Camp on Food Sovereignty organised by Pesticide Action Network Asia and Pacific and the Peoples Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS), to share how land, food, and livelihoods in Eloor have been poisoned and destroyed for the sake of profit-hungry chemical companies.

According to Shri Purushan, “Over 40,000 people in Eloor have been affected by toxics emitted by Hindustan Insecticides Unlimited”, a government-owned company. It is also one of the only two remaining producers of the dangerous chemical DDT in the world. The Indian government exports and uses DDT for their public health program. DDT is one of the Pesticide Action Network’s Dirty Dozen chemicals and is banned in many countries due to the hazard it poses. Aside from DDT, the company produces other toxic chemicals such as BHZ, Dicofol, and Endosulfan.

According to Shri Purushan, a member of the Local Area Environmental Committee for the Eloor-Edayar area, farmers who plant rice, vegetables, pepper, coconut, and other crops cannot do so anymore because of contamination of the land.

“Pokkali” an indigenous rice cultivation technique used by Indians has also been endangered because of chemical poisoning. Pokkali uses saltwater to irrigate the fields, and at the same time rear prawns.

However, Eloor’s water supply, including saltwater, has been highly contaminated. Fisherfolk can hardly catch fish in the 2458-kilometer Peryar, the largest river in Kerala. “Fish has been mostly killed by chemicals dumped by the Hindustan Insecticides Unlimited and other agrochemical companies” explains Shri Purushan. Furthermore, out of 38 varieties of fish found in the river, only 12 remain.

Shri Purushan also says that 50 plant species and 80 medicinal plants in the area have disappeared because of contamination.

People in Eloor also suffer from adverse health effects from chemical exposure. Most of them are afflicted with cancer, heart problems, mental illnesses, impotence, and suffer miscarriages. A survey conducted recently showed that cancer incidences in Eloor were seven times that of the national average.

He blames the WTO’s trade liberalisation policies for the introduction of agrochemicals to the Indian’s indigenous farming practices, destroying its culture and sustainability.

Ever since India joined the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade in 1991, Shri Purushan began fighting globalisation. In 2003, he was put in jail for two days because he was involved in planning protests against a global investment meeting.

As a consequence of his leadership in the Eloor peoples’ struggles, he has several criminal cases filed against him by the chemical companies, which he dismisses as purely harassment cases.

Despite the odds, Shri Purushan is resolute in the struggle to end poisoning of peoples in his homeland and to resist globalisation and the WTO in general. He is also a member of the National Alliance of People’s Movements, the largest alliance of people’s movements in India.

A participant of the People’s Action Week in protest to the WTO’s 6th Ministerial Conference, he was one of the many activists detained and interrogated by immigration officials upon entry to the Hong Kong airport.

He was questioned for one hour, about his intentions for coming to Hong Kong. In the end, he was warned by Hong Kong officials not to join any protest actions against the WTO.

But he is not that easily intimidated. The Indian community leader claims that in Kerala, a general strike was declared last December 13 in protest of the first day of the WTO MC6. Shops, factories and schools were closed as the people took to the streets in fervor against WTO.

On his part, he has been marching on the streets of Hong Kong, and joined thousands in Wan Chai across the water from the Hong Kong Convention itself, showing world leaders the strength of opposition to the WTO and globalisation, in commemoration of milllions of oppressed peoples from around the world.

“WTO is anti-social and anti-people. Down, Down, WTO!” he asserted in conclusion.

The People’s Camp on Food Sovereignty taking place from December 15-17 in Victoria Park, will have tribunals, seminars, workshops, protest actions, exhibits, a Rice Festival and other cultural events. It is being organized by Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific (PANAP) and the People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS) together with 40 People’s Organisations and support NGOs from all over Asia and other regions.