Pesticides and fertilisers have been used indiscriminately to increase crop yields and agricultural output in India and their excessive use has been feared to threaten human health as well as biodiversity through contamination of surface and groundwater resources.
And this is happening even in the land often called as paradise on earth, Kashmir! Large amounts of pesticides continue to be used by fruit growers, especially in areas where horticulture is the predominant commercial crop informs this paper titled 'Health risk assessment of pesticide residues in drinking water of upper Jhelum region in Kashmir valley-India by GC-MS/MS' published in the International Journal of Analytical Chemistry.
There are 293 pesticides registered in India of which 104 continue to be produced and used despite being prohibited in other countries. India is the world’s fourth largest producer of pesticides and the Indian pesticides industry was worth Rs 214 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach Rs. 316 billion by 2024.
Over dependence and indiscriminate use of pesticides poses a threat to biodiversity and human health. Pesticides can be easily transported into the ground and surface water and contaminate the aquatic ecosystems through infiltration, spray drift, drainage water, runoff, leaching, and atmospheric deposition. This may happen due to improper practices such as filling and washing of spraying equipment, discarding pesticide packages, and throwing the leftover solution into the water.
Pesticides can enter the human body through inhalation, ingestion, and skin contact causing health complications to varying degrees. Pesticide exposure among people can lead to increase in carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks. These can be more severe among vulnerable groups including the elderly, pregnant women, and children.
The paper discusses the findings of a study that explores the impact of the use of pesticides on the drinking water of the upper Jhelum region in the administrative districts of Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, and Kulgam in Kashmir. This mountainous region remains snow-clad for most of the year and has plenty of snow-fed springs, rivers with a network of their tributaries, and freshwater lakes.
These freshwater sources provide water for drinking, irrigation, and other domestic needs in the region. River Jhelum, the trunk stream of the Jhelum basin originates in the area near Verinag and flows almost through the entire length of Kashmir Valley.
The study found that:
The paper highlights the need for consistent water quality monitoring for drinking water sources in the upper Jhelum basin (South Kashmir) of the Kashmir Valley and the use of bio-pesticides as alternatives because they are less detrimental to the environment.