A Study of Environmental Awareness And Knowledge Of Occupational Hazard Of Fishermen In A Remote District Of India

Abstract

The present study covers the environmental concerns, awareness and occupational hazard level of the fishermen. The limitations have been acknowledged and recommendations have been made for the improvement of awareness level on the basis of primary and secondary data collected from Coochbehar district of West Bengal in 2013. The investigation is directed to fisherman who are involved in pisciculture and the fisherman who are directly involved in fishing from river, pond and other wetland in Coochbehar district of west Bengal, India. They have lack of environmental awareness and also the occupational hazards related with their profession. It has been found that level of perception about the environmental-related outcome on fish production and occupational hazard is highly restricted. They should be ever alert to the possible occupational hazards and follow regulations and legislations adopted regionally or nationally.

The occupational hazards, safety anxieties and risks to health of the fisherman are constructed on the types of operation, scale of production and the specific species of interest. The pollutants in aquatic environment are varied and complex in nature. The key sources of pollution are pesticides and leaching of dissolved chemical fertilizers, sewage and waste disposal, processing wastes; etc. Vulnerability is a biological, chemical, or physical agent with the potential to cause a hostile health effect. Fish grown in excreta-fertilized or wastewater ponds may be polluted with pathogens. Awareness of the health hazards involved in the handling of fish is important. Very often they are at risk to many injuries, noise, and sting from fish spines, sprain and fracture which are of physical hazards. Spoiled wet fish in storage may yield poisonous gases. Fish muscle can hold different concentration of Hg representing health risk to fertile women. Cadmium and lead concentrations are higher in fish scales and vertebral column part of the fish. The author’s objective is to grow the health and safety of fisherman through the acknowledgement, evaluation, control or modification of human health risk as well as concentrating on the possible role of fisherman in the spread of communicable human diseases through pisciculture.