Srinagar, Aug 25 (KNO): A new study by researchers has found that nearly 90 per cent of households located near apple orchards in Kashmir have no buffer zone separating their homes from pesticide-treated land, leaving them exposed to chemical drift.
The study published in the International Journal of Social Impact, a copy of which lies with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), surveyed 509 households across all ten districts of the Valley, developing a composite Residential Proximity Index (RPI) based on six indicators: distance from orchards, presence of buffer zones, pesticide storage practices, disposal methods, awareness of pesticide toxicity, and post-spray health symptoms.
The study found that 41.06 per cent of surveyed households were located within just 200 metres of orchards, a distance the authors said sharply increases the likelihood of pesticide drift reaching residential areas. Compounding this, 88.80 per cent of homes had no intercepting buffer zone at all. More than 70 per cent of households reported unsafe disposal of pesticide packets, containers and leftovers, largely through open dumping near orchards, while 45.38 per cent stored pesticides within their domestic living space rather than outside.
Using the composite RPI, which scores households from 0 to 6 based on how many risk conditions apply to them, the study classified about one-fourth of households as high-risk (score 5-6), reflecting a combination of close orchard proximity, absent buffer zones, unsafe pesticide handling, low awareness and reported health symptoms. Over half fell into the moderate-risk category (score 3-4), while only a small share of households qualified as low-risk (score 0-2). Combined, three-fourths of surveyed households fell within the moderate-to-high risk bracket.
The study also found that 55.01 per cent of respondents reported experiencing health symptoms following pesticide spraying, and 61.30 per cent had only low to moderate awareness of the health hazards posed by pesticide exposure.
The study said that horticultural land in Jammu and Kashmir has expanded dramatically, from 48,000 hectares in 1970-71 to 212,000 hectares in 2022, citing Directorate of Horticulture data. Apple cultivation, it said, remains the primary consumer of pesticides in the region, accounting for 83 per cent of usage, split between fungicides (71.1%), insecticides (15.4%) and acaricides (7.7%). Commonly used pesticides in Kashmir’s orchards include chlorpyrifos, mancozeb and captan, some of which are classified as carcinogenic, alongside dithane, dimethoate, carboxin, synthetic pyrethroids and endosulfan.
Unlike agricultural regions in the plains where farmland is typically separated from residential areas, the study pointed out that Kashmir’s hilly terrain results in apple orchards sitting in close spatial proximity to homes, meaning residents can be exposed to pesticide drift even without any direct occupational involvement in horticulture.
The researchers called for the demarcation of multi-layered vegetative buffer zones around residential spaces to intercept wind-driven pesticide drift, and recommended that pesticide-treated areas be temporarily labelled as “no entry zones” for a few days after spraying to reduce exposure. They also recommended that doors and windows be kept closed during active spraying periods, and that new construction within or near orchard spaces be planned with pesticide exposure risk in mind.
The researchers noted that relocating the large population currently living near active pesticide-treated land is not a feasible solution, making buffer zones and safer handling practices the more immediate priority. They also called for future research combining geospatial mapping with environmental and biological monitoring, including testing of soil, water and food, as well as biological samples such as blood and urine, to build a fuller picture of pesticide contamination in the region—(KNO)