With the onset of spring, the agriculture activities start in Kashmir. From March 1st we see apple farmers busy spraying pesticides in their orchards. Very few people who watch this activity take notice of the fact that how does our environment react to this activity? Are precautions taken to make sure the water bodies around apple orchards are not getting contaminated with these pesticides ? Is the Public Health Engineering (PHE)-Jal Shakti Department sensitive about this issue as they are nowadays busy in implementing the national flagship programme Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). Not only are the water sources are infected with solid and liquid waste but the pesticides also play a great role in infecting our streams, small rivers and other water sources, plus making the fruit fully dependent on these hazardous chemicals.
Pesticides in Water
Water is a basic requirement for our life. According to a research article Role of Pesticides in Water Pollution published by Manish Srivastava and others in the Journal of Agriculture Science and Food Research , 50 % urban and 80 % rural population get the contaminated water. In many states water is not safe at all for drinking purposes due to its high concentration of pesticides , metals, bacteria and chemicals. In Kashmir valley the presence of pesticides in drinking water is a matter of very serious concern but unfortunately neither the Pollution Control Committee nor the PHE Jal Shakti is taking this seriously. As the pesticide spraying season has begun in Kashmir , we see apple farmers busy in spraying different types of fungicides , pesticides and other chemicals on trees. Between March to May Kashmir gets good rainfall and the pesticides get washed away into the natural water channels (Kuls) which then enter into streams and rivers. Most of our water supply plants get water from these streams and rivers and the water is then supplied to people without any treatment.
During the last 40 to 50 years, the use of pesticides has increased to a great extent in India and the apple farmers in Kashmir also are seen using this in large quantities especially during the last 15 to 20 years. With the increased use of chemical sprays, fertilizers, its impact is seen directly on human lives and aquatic life as well. The use of pesticides in apple orchards, vegetable farms etc is a critical issue as leaching of these harmful chemicals in water bodies causes toxic effects on human , animal and aquatic life.
The Pesticide concentration in drinking water cannot be controlled by obsolete processes like sedimentation or use of bleaching powder, which is normally done by PHE Jal Shakti Department to kill the bacteria in water. In fact, bleaching powder itself is harmful if used directly in water, as is done in many places of Kashmir. In many water supply plants chlorine gas is also used to disinfect water , but experts say this is a dangerous method to clean the drinking water.
PCC has to play its role
The J&K Pollution Control Committee (J&K PCC), has an important role to play in checking water pollution especially contamination of drinking water sources with pesticides. I have hardly seen teams of PCC moving around villages in Kashmir during the spraying season that starts in March and continues for several months. PCC has been given a mandate to check water pollution under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. For the last two decades water has been contaminated with pesticides but not even a single case stands registered by PCC or other Govt agencies.
The water act was introduced to prevent and control water pollution and maintain or restore the wholesomeness of water. It also provides for the establishment of boards for the control of water pollution. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) or Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in Union Territories are guardians of the water act.
The erstwhile J&K State Pollution Control Board (JK SPCB) hasn’t conducted any study to ascertain the impact of pesticides effluents on drinking water sources or other water bodies. The central pollution control board CPCB needs to take notice of it. It also needs to explore whether drainage of pesticides into rivers and lakes of Kashmir is a violation of the Hazardous Waste Management Rules 2016, with all its four amendments from 2016 to 2019.
Impact on Human Health
It is an established fact that pesticides that contaminate drinking water sources can bioaccumulate in the human body over time. Exposure effects can range from mild skin irritation to birth defects, tumors, genetic changes, blood and nerve disorders, endocrine disruption. Developmental effects have been associated with pesticides. In addition to it cancer, neurotoxicity, kidney and liver damage has been established. Exposure to pesticides can also alter an organism’s behaviour, impacting its ability to survive.
High pesticide residues in some fruits and vegetables can reduce the quality of men’s semen by up to half, according to a 2015 study done in the United States. The five-year study, the first of its type, has significant implications for public health, according to the medical journal Human Reproduction, which says attention is more often focused on women’s difficulties in giving birth.
A study by Prof Abdul Rashid Bhat, a neurosurgeon, and others, from the Sher e Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, linked pesticides to brain cancer. The report published in the Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology in October 2010 revealed that 389 out of 432 cases of primary malignant brain tumours that were examined by SKIMS during a scientific study in 2010 (excluding metastatic lesions), were those of orchard farm workers.
While 61% of farmers/farm workers were affected after getting directly exposed to various pesticides in apple farms, almost 39 % were indirectly exposed, which includes intake of contaminated drinking water. Most of the affected districts, as per the study, were Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam and Shopian.
Inputs from health and other experts and studies make it clear that drinking water is not safe in J&K. Governments and scientific institutions need to do many studies on contamination of drinking water sources by pesticides.
Conclusion
The Govt must make sure water isn’t contaminated with liquid waste, untreated sewage , excessive riverbed mining and especially with pesticides. There has to be proper coordination between Govt departments like Horticulture , Agriculture , PHE Jal Shakti , Irrigation, Geology & Mining, Fisheries and Pollution Control Committee. The Deputy Commissioners while taking a review meeting on JJM implementation must also make sure whether the water that is being supplied to people is free from impurities especially pesticides. The use of pesticides needs to be brought down as it will destroy our crop, climate and health.
Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat is a Srinagar based Writer and Activist . He is an Acumen Fellow and Anant Fellow for Climate Action
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK.