Today, I am deliberating to write about a topic, which, in the past, has been taken up by many writers and demands an urgent attention by the government, but the J&K government agencies have taken no action on this serious issue, till date. A number of studies have been made by the experts and the scientists. But this remains a hard fact that the hazardous agrochemicals which were introduced by the European Countries; today stand banned in the European Union because of the hazardous effects of these agrochemicals on human health and the environment, are still being used in orchards and agriculture fields of Jammu and Kashmir. I am afraid that being a developing nation, we are not being treated like a testing lab and our people are the testing rats & monkeys.
It is an alarming fact, today, that the escalating public health crisis in Jammu and Kashmir—marked by rising cancer, chronic kidney disease (CKD), brain tumors, and liver ailments—is increasingly traced to environmental degradation and unchecked chemical exposure. Cancer cases in the Kashmir Valley rose from 6,649 in 2018 to 8,355 in 2024 (a 25.6 percent increase), with over 12,000 new registrations annually. Health experts state that 79% of all cancer cases in the Union Territory are reported from the Kashmir Valley alone. CKD has more than doubled over the last decade, with a sharp increase in number of dialysis patients & dialysis centres all over the UT; Experts attributing this significantly to environmental toxins; excessive sprays of hazardous chemicals in our orchards and agriculture fields rather than lifestyle factors alone.
Excessive use of pesticides in J&K orchards has led to contamination of ground water, soil degradation, polluted air, and loss of beneficial insects such as earthworms, pollinators, and aquatic life, harming biodiversity. Pesticides enter the food chain, affecting consumers and leading to health issues among agricultural workers due to direct exposure without adequate safety measures. Respiratory problems, neurological symptoms, and chronic diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s have also been linked to prolonged pesticide exposures. Farmers in J&K often use multiple chemical pesticides, sometimes without proper regulation, training, or protective gear. This in discriminate use causes persistent residues in air, soil, and water, exposing both farmers and consumers to toxic chemicals. Our produce is also toxic and ,if not washed properly before eating, may affect human health badly. Recently, we had the news that a number of shipments of Indian mangoes, red chillies, and rice have been rejected by few importing nations because of high residues found on these products. Tomorrow, it might not happen with Kashmiri apples, either. We, all, need to be careful and take preventive measures, well in time.
As we know, at the heart of the crisis lies the continued use of agrochemicals banned in the European Union. Mancozeb (approximately 3,400 metric tonnes sprayed annually), Captan (around 4,350 metric tonnes), and Chlorpyrifos (more than 3,186 metric tonnes) are all classified as carcinogenic, neurotoxic, or reproductively toxic. A 2023 study in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health detected residues from ten out of twenty-six commonly used agriculture pesticides in drinking water across the Upper Jhelum region, with Chlorpyrifos and Quinalphos exceeding target hazard quotients of 1.0—indicating genuine human health risk. The 10 detected residues included Dimethoate, Chlorpyrifos, Quinalphos, and Hexaconazole. Difenoconazole was measured at the highest mean concentration. The target hazard quotients for Chlorpyrifos and Quinalphos exceeded safe limits in certain sampling sites (e.g., RWS3, RWS4), indicating a potential non-carcinogenic health risk for the local human population consuming this water. The epidemiological evidence is deeply troubling. A landmark SKIMS study (year 2010) found that 90 percent of 432 brain tumor patients were orchard workers exposed to these pesticides.
A comprehensive 2025 Nature Scientific Reports study on Kashmir Valley soils confirms hazardous concentrations of Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), and Vanadium (V) in agricultural areas of Bandipora and Ganderbal, with elevated levels directly linked to agricultural chemical usage and human activity. Heavy metal-enriched topsoils can result in bioaccumulation in crops, ultimately creating carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic dietary exposure risks for humans and livestock.
Agricultural runoff has introduced heavy metals into drinking water wells at levels exceeding WHO safety limits. A 2022 study found 40 percent of food samples across India contained organophosphate residues exceeding maximum limits. For every 10 μg/m³ rise in PM₁₀ and NO₂, kidney cancer risk increases by 29 percent.
Farm workers continue spraying without protective equipment like headgears, masks & hand gloves, even as these chemicals face partial restrictions on few crops and in few seasons, also, in neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana. A 2025 study found that 35–50 percent of carcinogenic elements in water systems originate from soil contamination, with affected CKD patients showing significantly higher blood levels of Chlorpyrifos.
Health experts, including Dr. Azhar Jan, have called for mandatory annual health screenings for agricultural workers, a phased ban on Europian Union prohibited pesticides, and systematic drinking water monitoring across high-risk orchard districts like Anantnag, Pulwama, and Shopian. Despite being banned or heavily restricted in the European Union, chemicals like Mancozeb, Captan, and Chlorpyriphos etc. are widely used across the valley’s 193,109-hectare apple belt as well as in vegetable belts of Jammu region. Health experts are calling for a phased ban on these chemicals, introduction of organic/ natural pesticides as well as stricter enforcement against counterfeit or misbranded pesticides. The orchardists and farmers have to be provided with the safe & easily procurable bio pesticides and bio fertilizers. A proper supply chain involving bio pesticides producers and agriculture extension workers need to be established. Government subsidies on such products shall be a boon for shifting from hazardous agrochemicals to bio products.
The most urgent is the transition toward organic/ natural farming. Without a decisive and an integrated approach adopted by the government, the convergence of chemical contamination, rising disease trends, and week regulatory enforcement points toward a catastrophic situation demanding an immediate attention.
Rethinking Pesticide Use in J&K Before It’s Too Late
By: Anuj Kumar Verma
