Visibility falls, health risks rise: Orchard-waste burning sparks public outcry

Shopian, Nov 28: A thick haze hangs over Shopian as Mohammad Arif struggles to walk through the smoke-filled streets, coughing repeatedly and pressing a cloth against his face. Across South Kashmir’s apple-growing belt, the seasonal burning of orchard waste has turned evenings into a suffocating ordeal for thousands of residents.

The practice of burning pruned branches and fallen leaves has long been part of orchard management in Kashmir. However, residents say the situation has deteriorated sharply in recent years, as denser habitation, rising vehicular emissions, and still-cold winter air trap smoke at ground level, causing it to linger for hours.

In Shopian, Pulwama and Kulgam—districts at the heart of the Valley’s apple economy—dense plumes of smoke now form a daily blanket across residential areas and marketplaces. By late afternoon, visibility drops significantly, forcing motorists to slow down and prompting pedestrians to cover their faces.

“After 4 pm, the whole area disappears under a cloud of smoke. Sometimes you can’t even see the road ahead,” said Javed Ahmad of Shopian. He said smoke seeps indoors as well, making evenings intolerable. “Our rooms fill with the smell. It becomes impossible to sit comfortably inside the house.”

Residents from Pulwama’s Tahab village also described worsening health impacts. “People struggle to breathe. The elderly and those with chest diseases suffer the most,” said Mushtaq Ahmad. In Kulgam, some locals complained that growers even burn orchard waste on roadsides, damaging the road surface.

With public anger growing, experts are urging a shift away from burning and toward sustainable, non-polluting alternatives. A scientist from SKUAST-K said orchard waste can be composted or converted into organic manure, and urea spray is an effective method for accelerating decomposition without harming the environment.

Earlier, Dr Tariq Rasool, Associate Professor at SKUAST-K, told Greater Kashmir that reviving sheep grazing in orchards could significantly reduce waste. “Sheep consume fallen leaves, and their droppings enrich the soil. This traditional practice reduces waste and improves soil fertility, especially in orchards where branches are more than two feet above the ground,” he said.

Residents are now calling on the authorities, including the Pollution Control Committee and the horticulture department, to step in before the situation worsens.

“Someone has to stop this,” Arif pleaded. “We cannot keep choking every winter.”