Who’s Watching Lakhanpur?

Scientific data links polythene packaging to rising contamination in Kashmir's rivers and wetlands. Enforcement at the border could change the story.

- Hidayat Bukhari

Jammu and Kashmir stands at a defining ecological moment. The valley holds one of South Asia’s most interconnected water systems, where glacier-fed streams descend into rivers, rivers feed lakes, and lakes drain into wetlands and floodplains within a low-gradient Himalayan basin.

This design sustains farms, fisheries, drinking water supplies, and cultural life. It also means that pollution entering at one point spreads through the entire system.

Plastic has found its way into that system with alarming ease.

The Union Territory enforces a formal ban on polythene and single-use plastics. Government orders prohibit thin carry bags and disposable packaging. Enforcement teams conduct market inspections. Fines are imposed on retailers. Public messaging urges people to switch to cloth and jute. The legal architecture exists in full view.

But plastic still flows in massive volumes.

Between 2018 and 2023, Jammu and Kashmir generated more than 225,000 tonnes of plastic waste. Annual inflow into the waste stream continues at over 30,000 tonnes. These figures show continuity rather than decline. They also reveal that the problem does not originate at the retail counter alone.

Scientific data confirms that the impact has moved far beyond visible litter. Studies on the Jhelum River record microplastic concentrations ranging from 600 to 2,500 particles per cubic metre. Researchers observe sharp increases downstream of dumping sites. Polymer analysis identifies polyethylene as the dominant material in samples.

Polyethylene forms the base of polythene carry bags and packaging films. The river carries the chemical imprint of banned materials.