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violent windstorm swept across parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, April 17, killing a 17-year-old student and damaging dozens of homes and public buildings. Umar Tariq lost his life in Muzaffarabad’s Raru area, when a tree collapsed on him during the storm. According to the State Disaster Management Authority, 48 homes were damaged across four districts, with Sudhnoti and Poonch among the worst hit. Several government schools and cattle sheds also sustained damage. The SDMA has issued warnings of more windstorms, hail and heavy rainfall over the weekend, urging residents to avoid open spaces, switch off unnecessary electrical appliances and take shelter in sturdy buildings. The advisory also highlighted the risks posed by poorly installed signboards and billboards during extreme weather.
These advisories are beginning to sound too familiar in AJK. The intensity and frequency of climate disasters are rising, but the region’s preparedness remains dangerously inadequate. From collapsed homes to school buildings showing structural cracks, signs of fragility are everywhere. Yet, emergency systems often fail to reach those most at risk.
AJK’s vulnerability to climate disasters is heightened by a dangerous mix comprising its rugged topography, socio-economic fragility and institutional shortcomings. Heavy dependence on agriculture, rapid glacier melt, deforestation, unplanned urbanisation and erratic weather patterns have created a storm of intersecting risks. Flash floods, landslides, avalanches and droughts are no longer rare; they are becoming a new normal. The region has become an epicentre of climate change trauma.
Flood patterns have shifted significantly. Monsoon rains and snowmelt routinely cause Rivers Jhelum and Neelum to overflow. Flash floods are made worse by steep slopes and encroachment along riverbanks. Major floods in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2020 underscore the trend. More recently, cloudburst-induced floods have caused massive damage, especially in Neelum Valley. In 2022, one such event trapped tourists and destroyed homes and power stations. In 2021, another cloudburst ravaged the Salkhala area.
These are not isolated events but part of a dangerous pattern.
Environmental mismanagement has deepened the crisis. Over the past two decades, widespread deforestation, unchecked construction and a booming tourism industry have stripped the land of its natural resilience. According to a report published by Centre for Peace, Development and Reforms, Climate Risk Management in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, more than 60 natural lakes in Rata Valley have disappeared. Between 2001 and 2021, the AJK lost over 400 hectares of forest cover. Without trees to absorb rainfall or hold the soil, the risk of landslides and flash floods has soared.
Authorities acknowledge this threat. Saeed Qureshi, a senior officer at the SDMA, tells The News on Sunday that the agency has expanded its early warning mechanisms through social media, WhatsApp groups, TV and radio.
The intensity and frequency of climate disasters are rising. The preparedness remains dangerously inadequate.
“We issue alerts promptly,” he says. “But many people don’t take them seriously. That remains a big weakness.” He points to signs of accelerated climate change in the region: premature snowmelt, swollen rivers, sudden temperature swings and increasingly frequent hailstorms. “Adaptation is now more critical than mitigation,” Qureshi adds. “We have integrated climate change into our planning but the challenge is enormous. No single institution can meet it alone.”
For many in the AJK, these efforts fall short of what’s needed in the face of escalating disasters. Speaking to TNS, Abdul Majeed, a resident of Rai Kot, a village in Bagh district, says he has never received any government-issued climate or disaster alert. “I find out about extreme weather from Facebook or WhatsApp,” he says, “but my family doesn’t even have access to that. They are left completely in the dark.”
His account is not unique. Many communities across AJK continue to suffer for lack of a localised early warning system, despite mounting evidence that disasters here are increasing in both frequency and intensity. His story reflects a broad failure: disaster warnings often don’t reach the people who need them most. Communities without internet access or early warning networks are left to face the full brunt of increasingly violent weather with no preparation.
While climate change has intensified the crisis, weak governance is amplifying its impact too. Many disaster risks are no longer natural; they are the result of human decisions. Deforestation, unsafe housing and reactive planning have made hazards deadlier. Recovery efforts often stop at immediate relief; long-term resilience planning is rare. Vulnerable communities pay for the failures with their homes, livelihoods and lives.
The most vulnerable remain the most overlooked. Women, especially in rural areas, bear a disproportionate burden during and after disasters. Their work in agriculture, livestock and caregiving gets harder after each storm, yet they are largely absent from disaster planning or post-disaster support systems. Despite repeated calls, the AJK has yet to adopt Pakistan’s Climate Change Gender Action Plan, leaving another critical gap unaddressed.
The SDMA and other agencies operate within major constraints. Lacking robust coordination, adequate funding and long-term planning, these efforts fall short. Experts have repeatedly called for hazard mapping, region-specific planning and institutional reforms. Yet these recommendations remain unimplemented.
The April 16 hailstorm should not be treated as an isolated tragedy. It is one in a series of warnings. The knowledge exists, and so do the solutions. Policymakers must prioritise a localised, reliable early warning system; invest in climate-resilient infrastructure; and regulate unsafe construction and deforestation. Most importantly, disaster planning must focus on those who bear the brunt the most, especially women and children. As the storms grow more violent and frequent, there is no time for further delays. The next storm is already on the horizon.
The writer is a freelance contributor from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, currently pursuing an MS in development studies at NUST, Islamabad. She can be reached at hunainmehmud101gmail.com and on X: hunain_mahmood