The most serious agricultural pollution problem relates to the rapid increase in pesticide use from less than 1,000 tin in 1980 to 70,000 tin in 2002 most of which is used in the Punjab.
According to an official survey report it revealed that most pesticide is insecticide and most of this is applied to the cotton crop. The widespread use of generic and often dangerous pesticides on cotton has a number of potential health hazards, including contamination of workers who apply it (three quarters of producers use a back-pack sprayer without protective clothing), contamination of harvesters (all of whom are women), health hazards to plant workers, contamination of soil and groundwater used for drinking, and contamination of consumers of agricultural products.
Economic costs of these negative health effects have been estimated at over one billion rupees annually. The sole reliance on pesticides to reduce pest losses has aggravated sustainability problems as pest population change and develops resistance to commonly used pesticides.
This was manifested in the recurring cotton crises of the past few years where pest losses sharply reduced the cotton harvest, threatening supplies to the domestic textile industry, causing estimated losses of Rs 5.7 billion annually. The short run success in increasing cotton production over the past two decades has been translated into a major challenge to sustaining the industry.
Despite the magnitude of the environmental and health problems associated with high levels of pesticide use, Pakistan is a latecomer to the practice of integrated pest management (IPM) and has been reactive rather than proactive in fighting pests.