Pesticides fuel cancer crisis

There has been an alarming rise in pesticide-triggered cancer cases, especially aggressive brain tumors, in districts like Anantnag, Budgam, and Baramulla. The cancers have been attributed to chemicals such as Mancozeb, Captan, and Chlorpyrifos - long banned or restricted elsewhere for their health hazards - continuing to be sprayed in Kashmir’s orchards without sufficient oversight. Our farmers spray these chemicals without proper protective gear or training, exposing them to the clouds of poison. Season after season, this not just sows the seeds of disease in their fields, but also in their own bodies.

However, this is no longer just a problem for the farmers. Everyone is at risk as pesticides don’t remain limited to orchards but seep into the food we eat and the water we drink. So, the silence of the departments responsible for food and water safety is more than negligence, it borders on betrayal.

The time for half-measures has long passed. It’s time the government intervenes swiftly and bans the hazardous pesticides. It needs to promote safer, sustainable farming practices, and also provide farmers equipment and training. Water sources must be monitored rigorously, and findings made transparent. Most of all, there must be a massive public health campaign - because a community unaware is a community left defenseless.

As reported in a story published in this paper, a study published nearly 15 years ago had already drawn a clear connection between pesticide exposure and cancer among orchard farmers. Yet, this grave warning has been met largely with indifference.

The Valley has already been reeling under the growing incidence of cancer over the past decade. Data highlights a grim reality. Health Minister Sakina Itoo recently informed the J&K Assembly that over 64,000 cancer cases have been recorded in the union territory since 2018, with Kashmir Valley at the receiving end with 50,551 cases. On the other hand, Jammu has fared relatively better with 13,912 cases. Government figures show a 2-3% annual increase in reported cases since 2021, which makes for a significant number. The large number of cancer cases is putting a burden on the fragile healthcare system, more so that of the Kashmir Valley. J&K thus needs a comprehensive cancer policy to respond to the crisis with the seriousness it deserves.