Every day, along the banks of the Jhelum, Chenab, Tawi, Devika, and Basanter rivers, people encounter plastic bags, bottles, wrappers, and other discarded packaging. This visible waste is not merely an eyesore. It can block drains, degrade landscapes, threaten animals, and carry plastic fragments into streams, lakes, and downstream water systems. The water that once flowed clear and pure now carries a heavy burden of plastic waste. A number of scientific studies by institutions in Jammu and Kashmir have confirmed the presence of microplastics in the region’s freshwater ecosystems, including the Jhelum river system and major lakes such as Dal, Anchar, and Wular, underscoring the scale of the crisis. These tiny plastic particles threaten aquatic biodiversity and may ultimately enter the food chain through fish and water consumption.
The same tragic reality confronts every visitor to our major tourist destinations and high altitude treks. Pahalgam, Gulmarg, Sonamarg, Yusmarg, Bungus, Gurez, Patnitop, and the pilgrimage route to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi attract large numbers of visitors every year, yet these places are increasingly burdened by discarded plastic bottles, carry bags, and food wrappers. Fragile high altitude ecosystems are especially vulnerable because waste collection infrastructure is weak or absent in many such locations, and plastic left behind by visitors is often washed into streams and rivers by rain and snowmelt. When that happens, the contamination does not remain at the dumping point; it spreads into the wider water system and affects communities downstream.
In towns and cities, stray cattle and cows ingest polythene bags while foraging through garbage heaps, suffering painful intestinal blockages that can lead to death. During rainy seasons, drains choke because of plastic accumulation, making urban flooding and waterlogging worse. Official records show that J&K has generated more than 2.25 lakh tonnes of plastic waste over the last five years, with annual generation varying sharply by year. The scale is alarming, and the burden on rivers, roadsides, and open landscapes remains visibly high.
The government has taken some important steps. The J&K Pollution Control Committee notifies that polythene carry bags below 120 microns are prohibited, and that the thickness threshold was raised from 50 microns to 75 microns and then to 120 microns in line with national amendments. J&K has also created a Single Use Plastic Portal to strengthen monitoring, enforcement, and public awareness. These measures were necessary but have proved insufficient. The crisis has continued because enforcement has been uneven and the volume of plastic in circulation remains far too large. Recent official figures indicate that approximately 52.82 per cent of reported plastic waste was recycled in 2023–24; a substantial quantity remains uncollected, littered, or outside formal recycling systems. This highlights the need to reduce plastic consumption at source and strengthen collection and recycling infrastructure.
Despite the legal prohibition, thin polythene bags reportedly continue to be used in some fruit and vegetable markets and other commercial areas of Jammu and Kashmir, including during the early morning trading hours. The continued availability of such bags points to gaps in inspections and enforcement. Authorities must conduct regular, unannounced checks at wholesale and retail markets, seize banned material, penalise suppliers and users, and ensure affordable cloth or other approved alternatives for vendors and consumers.
Disposable plastic water bottles are among the most visible and problematic sources of plastic litter in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in markets, tourist destinations, pilgrimage centres, and along roadsides and waterways. A single disposable plastic water bottle may seem small, but across its full life cycle, production, transport, and disposal, it adds roughly 70–80 grams of CO2e and becomes a significant contributor to climate change when multiplied by billions of bottles.
It is high time that the government takes the most urgent step in reducing single use plastics by introducing a strict and enforceable ban on packaged drinking water in plastic bottles in hotels, restaurants, banquet halls, food stalls, and other hospitality establishments across Jammu and Kashmir. Guests and visitors should instead be provided with clean, filtered water served in glassware or other safe, reusable, or environmentally preferable containers. This is not only an environmental measure; it is a public interest reform that can immediately reduce one of the most visible sources of plastic waste.
This proposal must be paired with practical alternatives. The government should install aesthetically designed filtered water fountains and water ATMs at busy markets, bus stands, railway stations, tourist spots, pilgrimage sites, and public squares across J&K. If people have easy access to clean and safe drinking water, they will be less dependent on packaged water bottles. These facilities must be maintained throughout the year, supported by regular water quality testing and reliable winter operation. At the same time, citizens and travellers must be encouraged through sustained awareness campaigns to carry reusable bottles made of steel, aluminium, glass, or other safe and durable materials.
The existing legal framework must also be strengthened. The threshold for banned polythene bags should not be relaxed casually. The current 120 micron standard should be enforced strictly. Penalties for the manufacture, supply, and use of banned polythene bags must be substantially increased and applied consistently without exception. In fruit and vegetable markets across every town and village in J&K, eco friendly cloth bags should be made widely available, with the government supporting vendors through subsidised alternatives so that the transition is workable rather than punitive.
Milk packaging is another area demanding immediate attention. Almost every household in J&K receives milk daily in plastic pouches that are used for a few minutes but persist in the environment for years. The government should issue clear directions to milk suppliers and dairy cooperatives operating in the Union Territory to transition to safer, reusable, recyclable, or genuinely compostable packaging within a defined timeframe. There have been reports that Mother Dairy has initiated certain measures to transition from conventional plastic pouches to more environmentally preferable alternatives. Similarly, plastic films on cigarette packets and sweets boxes must be strictly targeted through enforcement and meaningful financial penalties. These are everyday items, but together they create a very large waste burden.
Despite the legal ban, another troubling practice reportedly continues in parts of Jammu and Kashmir: some eateries and takeaway vendors pack hot vegetable dishes, rajma, chickpeas, and mutton curry in thin plastic or polythene bags. Such bags may not be designed or certified for contact with hot food, and heat, oil, spices, and acidity can increase the migration of plastic related substances into food. Regular consumption of food packed in this manner may expose consumers to unwanted contaminants and raise legitimate concerns about food safety, particularly when the material’s composition and quality are unknown. Authorities must immediately stop this practice through inspections and penalties, while vendors should be required to use food grade, reusable, compostable, or otherwise approved packaging. The issue is not only environmental; it is also a direct matter of public health and consumer protection.
The path forward demands continuous, year round enforcement, not seasonal campaigns staged for publicity. District administrations, urban local bodies, and the J&K Pollution Control Committee should conduct joint, unannounced inspections at markets, food stalls, restaurants, sweet shops, hotels, tourist establishments, and manufacturing units throughout the year. Violations must result in swift and escalating penalties that genuinely deter repeat offences.
At the same time, the government should support entrepreneurs and small manufacturers producing biodegradable packaging, bamboo products, jute bags, and compostable cutlery through dedicated grant schemes and financial incentives. As long as banned plastic remains cheaper than eco friendly alternatives, traders will continue choosing plastic whenever enforcement is weak.
Community awareness programmes in schools, panchayats, and mohalla committees must also work consistently to shift public mindsets from convenience to environmental responsibility, especially among the younger generation who will inherit the consequences of today’s decisions. The real solution is not merely to punish the user after the damage is done. It is to create the infrastructure, incentives, and habits that prevent the damage in the first place.
India and other countries have already demonstrated that targeted restrictions on disposable plastic water bottles are possible. Sikkim has prohibited the use, sale, and distribution of plastic drinking water bottles of 2 litres or less; Assam has restricted packaged drinking water bottles below 1 litre; Maharashtra has imposed restrictions on PET bottles below 500 millilitres; and Tamil Nadu has taken action against bottles below 200 millilitres. Similar restrictions or location specific prohibitions have been adopted in countries and jurisdictions including Bhutan, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, the Maldives, Seychelles, parts of Australia, and several cities in the United States, particularly in public institutions, protected areas, and other designated locations. These examples show that a ban on disposable plastic water bottles in hotels, restaurants, eateries, tourist destinations, and other high use areas can be implemented effectively when supported by reliable refill infrastructure, safe drinking water systems, reusable alternatives, public awareness, and consistent enforcement. Jammu and Kashmir should learn from these experiences and adopt a clear, phased, and enforceable policy suited to its fragile ecosystems and tourism dependent economy.
We must ask ourselves a sobering question: what kind of Jammu and Kashmir are we leaving for our children and grandchildren, a land of breathtaking valleys, clean rivers, and snow covered mountains, or a territory buried under plastic dumps, with rivers carrying more polythene than fish? The choice is ours, and the time to make it is now. The laws exist, but they must be made stronger and sharper. The science is clear. The alternatives exist. What is needed is the collective will of government, industry, and every citizen to enforce these bans rigorously, build sustainable infrastructure, support eco friendly enterprise, and act with the urgency that the scale of this damage demands. Our natural heritage is not a possession we own. It is a sacred trust we hold for those who come after us. The time to act is now, not tomorrow.
The author is a supporter of natural farming and writes on climate change, sustainable growth, safe food and agriculture, environmental protection, and single-use plastic. He is the Convenor of We The Humans Forum for Nature and Mankind, Jammu, a public charitable trust.
