Environmental and Human Risk Assessment from Pesticides During Irrigation Practices: A Case of Haik, Amhara, Ethiopia

Abstract

Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy. Therefore, to increase productivity and to alleviate food insecurity, pesticides were used for in large-scale and small-scale irrigation farming system. On the other hand, pesticides have high risk on the environment and human beings, to estimate this type of pesticide risks the PRIMET model were used. The four main steps were used in this study. The first step was to collect data from secondary sources and the literature. The second step was focused on consulting partners and local communities. The third step of the study mainly focused on identifying analytical and data collection tools. Lastly, risk identification and quantification were developed. The application dose of 2,4-D and Malathion were higher than other pesticides, and its value were 1750 and 1400 g/ha. The predicted environmental concentration values of Lambdacyhalothrin, Malathion, 2,4-D, Propiconazole, and Profenofos pesticides for Fish, Daphnia, and Algae were 0.15,0.25,0.53,0.89 and 0.12 respectively. Propiconazole pesticides were 5000 g/ha and 68.6 mg/kg, which were higher than other pesticides in the terrestrial and Bee risk assessment type. The lambda-cyhalothrin was the higher risk, and ETR values pesticide for Fish, Daphnia, Algae, and Bees, and its ETR values were 70, 64, 6.99, and 5.50. The Profenofos pesticide ETR values were 59.63 and 49.12, which means high risk for terrestrial and Bee risk assessment. The ESTI% value of Lambdacyhalothrin, Malathion, 2,4-D, Propiconazole, and Profenofos pesticides were 0.29, 0.01, 0.11, 0.03, and 0.00. The higher the PEC value, the higher ETR, and ESTI%, which means the pesticide was a higher potential risk to the environment and human beings. The lambda-cyhalothrin and Malathion pesticides were at high possible risk in Lake Haik organisms (Fish, Daphnia, Algae) and Bee around the Lake. The Lambda-cyhalothrin pesticide was a higher potential risk pesticide for humans.