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PoJK's Silent Crisis: How Environmental Collapse Deepens Poverty and Despair

The people of PoJK are caught in a vicious cycle where environmental and economic crises feed each other. Rampant deforestation, sparked by the need for cheap fuel, is poisoning the air and causing a spike in respiratory illnesses. At the same time, a generation of young people, both educated and not, is facing a future of joblessness and deepening poverty. Residents describe a feeling of abandonment as they struggle for survival with little hope of government aid.

Key Points: PoJK Residents Face Environmental and Economic Crisis Amid Government Inaction

  • Severe drought and toxic air pollution create a hazardous public health emergency in PoJK
  • Soaring gas prices force residents to cut trees for fuel, accelerating deforestation
  • Educated youth face depression and unemployment despite heavy investment in degrees
  • The social fabric strains as poverty deepens with no government intervention in sight
2 min read

Environmental decay and economic distress push PoJK residents into deepening crisis

PoJK battles toxic air and rampant deforestation as economic collapse fuels a health and unemployment crisis, leaving residents struggling for survival.

"People are cutting down forests very quickly. There is a lot of fire in the jungles. - Saad Hameed Kiyani, PoJK resident"

Muzaffarabad, December 2

Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is grappling with a rapidly worsening environmental and social emergency, as rising pollution, rampant deforestation and increasing poverty leave local communities struggling for survival.

Residents say the twin crises are intensifying each day, with little to no government intervention on the ground.

Weeks without rainfall have turned the region's air hazardous, thick with dust, smoke and toxic pollutants. Locals report that expanding forest fires, many of them deliberately ignited, are making conditions even more dangerous. According to residents, skyrocketing gas prices have pushed many people to cut down trees and burn forested areas in search of cheaper fuel, accelerating environmental destruction.

"People are cutting down forests very quickly. There is a lot of fire in the jungles," said PoJK resident Saad Hameed Kiyani, blaming drought conditions and rising gas prices for the uncontrolled fires. He noted that pollution-related diseases are rising sharply. "Some people are getting allergic, some people are getting pneumonia," he added, highlighting the growing public health threat.

Alongside the environmental crisis, the region's social fabric is straining under severe economic distress. Youth in PoJK, both educated and uneducated, are facing a bleak future marked by unemployment and deteriorating mental health. Despite investing large sums in higher education, many graduates find themselves jobless or forced into work unrelated to their field of study.

"There are problems for both educated and illiterate youth," Kiyani explained. "People have invested millions of rupees in universities, but when they go to the field, they do not get jobs or opportunities. They are suffering from depression."

Those without education or skills face even harsher struggles. With soaring prices and limited job opportunities, many families are slipping deeper into poverty, unable to meet basic needs.

Residents of PoJK say they are being pushed toward an uncertain future, as forests vanish, air turns toxic, and livelihoods shrink.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
The cycle of poverty leading to environmental damage, which then worsens poverty, is a global issue. It's tragic to see it playing out so starkly. The youth depression angle is particularly worrying. They need hope and opportunity, not just survival.
V
Vikram M
Cutting trees for fuel because gas is unaffordable... this is basic failure of governance. In India, we have Ujjwala Yojana for LPG connections to prevent exactly this. The people there deserve a functional administration that provides for their basic needs.
P
Priya S
As an Indian, my heart goes out to the common people caught in this crisis. It's always the ordinary citizen who suffers the most. The mention of educated youth being jobless is a mirror to problems we also face, though perhaps not at this extreme level. We must learn from their plight.
R
Rohit P
The article paints a very grim picture, but I hope it's not entirely one-sided. Is there no local initiative or NGO work happening? Sometimes media focuses only on the despair. That said, the situation sounds dire and needs immediate attention.
M
Michael C
Deliberately ignited forest fires? That's ecocide. The health impacts from the polluted air will burden their system for generations. This isn't just a local issue; environmental degradation doesn't respect borders.

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