Jammu, Sep 23 (KNS): Environmental advocate and policy writer Anuj Kumar Verma on Wednesday urged Jammu and Kashmir legislators to raise issues concerning public health, pesticide use and environmental protection before the ongoing Assembly session concludes.

In a press note, Verma referred to the disclosure made by Health and Medical Education Minister Sakina Itoo in the Legislative Assembly that Jammu and Kashmir currently has around 51,000 registered cancer patients.

The minister also informed the House that the government has established two State Cancer Institutes and is expanding screening and treatment services across the Union Territory.

Verma said the figures should prompt greater attention to the possible links between public health and environmental factors, particularly the extensive use of agrochemicals in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said national cancer registry data and local oncologists have highlighted gastrointestinal, lung and breast cancers as significant categories of malignancies reported in the region. The Health Minister too told the Assembly that gastrointestinal, lung and breast cancers constitute a significant proportion of reported malignancies.

Verma, however, said that while some unconfirmed reports from hospitals and field workers put the number of people living with cancer in J&K at around 71,000, the higher figure does not appear to be part of the current official UT or national dataset and should therefore be treated as an estimate pending formal verification. The figure of around 71,000 had also been cited in the Assembly in connection with 2024 data.

He said particular attention was needed on the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture and horticulture. Citing recent analysis of official agriculture data, Verma said Jammu and Kashmir uses around 3.69 kg of chemical pesticides per hectare, compared with around 0.62 kg per hectare in Punjab and Haryana, about 0.50 kg in Himachal Pradesh and roughly 0.22-0.29 kg per hectare as the national average, depending on the year and methodology used.

An agricultural development report citing state-wise pesticide consumption data for 2022-23 puts J&K's per-hectare consumption at 3.69 kg, with Punjab and Haryana at 0.62 kg each.

Verma said legislators should examine whether extensive agrochemical use could be contributing to public-health problems, including cancer, chronic kidney disease, neurological disorders, brain tumours and gastrointestinal ailments, particularly among farm workers and their families.

He also raised concerns over pesticide residues and heavy metals potentially affecting rivers, lakes and other water bodies, saying contamination of water sources requires greater monitoring and regulatory attention.

Referring to a hospital-based study conducted at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) during 2005-2008, Verma said the research, published in the Indian Journal of Medical and Paediatric Oncology, examined 432 patients with primary malignant brain tumours and 457 controls.

The study found that 389 of the 432 brain-tumour patients, or 90.04 per cent, were orchard farm workers, orchard residents or children who played in orchards and had been exposed to multiple pesticides for prolonged periods. The researchers reported an association between pesticide exposure and primary malignant brain tumours, although such an observational association does not by itself establish that pesticide exposure caused the tumours.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

Verma said health experts had also raised concerns over the reported increase in patients suffering from chronic kidney disease, gastrointestinal and neurological problems and headaches, and called for greater research into possible environmental and occupational risk factors.

He also drew attention to what he described as growing environmental pressures in Srinagar and Jammu, including rising temperatures, tree felling for ring roads and major infrastructure projects and the need for comprehensive environmental mitigation measures.

Development projects are necessary, he said, but projects should have concrete mitigation and restoration plans to address damage caused to forests and other natural resources.

Verma urged legislators to question encroachments along river shores and riverbeds, the shrinking of wetlands and the choking of urban drainage systems by plastic waste.

He said wetlands play an important role in absorbing excess rainfall and their degradation can worsen the impact of heavy rainfall and flooding. He also raised concerns over plastic waste entering the environment and being ingested by cattle and aquatic life.

Verma further urged legislators to consider a ban on disposable plastic water bottles of up to two litres, citing measures taken by other regions.

He referred to Sikkim's notification banning the manufacture, import, sale and use of plastic water bottles of two litres and below from January 1, 2022. The Sikkim government had issued the notification as part of measures to address the environmental impact of plastic water bottles.

He also cited measures adopted by the Ladakh administration in June this year. Under Order No. 47 of 2026, dated June 19, the UT administration directed enforcement of a ban on identified single-use plastic items. Violations can attract penalties of up to Rs 10,000, according to the administration.

Verma said Maharashtra had also implemented restrictions on single-use plastics with a broader scope than two-litre water bottles.

Calling for a reduction in hazardous agrochemical use, he advocated greater adoption of modern technologies along with established approaches such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM).

He also sought strong incentive policies to promote biopesticides and safer pest-control systems, saying pesticide use should at least be brought closer to the national average to protect public health, soil, air and water and to promote residue-free food.

Verma urged legislators to use the remaining period of the ongoing Assembly session to raise these issues and press for concrete measures on public health and environmental protection.

He said development must be accompanied by environmental safeguards and called for coordinated action by the government, legislators, scientific institutions, agriculture and horticulture departments and other stakeholders.

"A healthy population is the true wealth of any nation," Verma said, urging elected representatives to raise the concerns of people and the fragile ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir in the House.(KNS)