Srinagar, Mar 11: Public health concerns in Jammu and Kashmir are coming into sharper focus, with official data revealing that thousands of packaged food samples and hundreds of drinking water sources have failed safety standards in recent years.
While enforcement agencies have intensified testing and violations in the food sector show a gradual decline, the numbers remain significant – nearly 4,000 food samples found non-conforming over five years, and over 700 drinking water samples flagged as contaminated in just three years.
Food Samples
Data accessed by shows that 3,859 food samples in J&K were found non-conforming between 2021-22 and 2025-26, even as over 41,000 samples were tested during the same period.
The highest number of violations was recorded in 2021-22, with 1,735 out of 8,109 samples failing quality standards. This fell to 1,195 violations among 13,502 samples in 2022-23, 750 out of 9,057 in 2023-24, 651 out of 6,955 in 2024-25, and 528 out of 4,648 samples tested so far in 2025-26.
Although the trend shows improvement, hundreds of food samples continue to fail safety standards every year, indicating a persistent challenge in the region’s packaged food market.
Food safety enforcement in India operates under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with oversight shared between the Centre and State or Union Territory authorities. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) carries out nationwide inspections, targeted enforcement drives, and sampling exercises, while local departments monitor compliance. Violations can lead to penalties, regulatory action, and prosecution.
Nationally, 754 food recalls involving more than 51,512 kilograms of products were initiated in 2024-25 due to contamination or non-compliance. Authorities have strengthened testing infrastructure with 252 primary food testing labs, 24 referral labs, five National Food Testing Labs, and 305 mobile “Food Safety on Wheels” units deployed across 35 states and UTs. These facilities generate around 6.4 lakh food testing reports annually.
Despite expanded testing and surveillance, the data suggest that a substantial number of packaged food products in J&K continue to fail regulatory standards each year.
Drinking Water Samples
Data also reveals that 387 drinking water samples tested in J&K during 2023-24 were found contaminated, falling to 78 in 2024-25, with 135 samples failing tests so far in 2025-26.
The number of samples tested has increased significantly: 2,05,954 in 2023-24, 2,66,547 in 2024-25, and 2,85,239 in 2025-26 so far, reflecting expanded monitoring of water quality.
Remedial action was reportedly taken in 382 contamination cases in 2023-24, 76 cases in 2024-25, and 127 cases in 2025-26 after unsafe samples were detected. While authorities have responded, the persistence of contamination highlights ongoing challenges in ensuring safe drinking water, particularly in rural and mountainous areas relying on springs, streams, and groundwater.
Testing is conducted under the Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS), developed under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which tracks water quality, sample testing, and corrective action nationwide. Launched in 2019, the mission aims to provide functional tap connections to every rural household and ensure a regular supply of safe drinking water.
Experts note that water contamination can arise from bacteriological pollutants, ageing pipelines, inadequate treatment systems, and naturally occurring elements like iron, fluoride, or arsenic. They stress that increasing tests is only a first step; the bigger challenge is ensuring consistent treatment, safe distribution, and sustained monitoring of water quality, especially in remote villages. (Age
