Landslides in Azad Kashmir: Causes, Impacts and the Hope Growing Through Trees

Understanding the Fragile Landscape of Azad Kashmir

Azad Jammu and Kashmir is a region of astonishing beauty and daunting vulnerability. Its steep valleys, rushing rivers, and snow-capped peaks are more than postcard scenes; they are the living backbone of thousands of families who call these mountains home. Yet beneath this beauty lies a constant threat — the earth itself can shift, collapse, and destroy within moments. Landslides are common in Azad Kashmir.

According to AJK At A Glance 2024, the total area of Azad Kashmir is 13,297 square kilometres, housing over 4.46 million people. With a population growth rate of 1.61% per year, new settlements, roads, and farmlands are constantly expanding into unstable terrains. Only 42.63% of land remains under forest cover, while much of the rest has been converted into farmland or construction zones. These pressures make the land fragile and increasingly prone to landslides, especially during monsoon and seismic activity.

The region’s topography is shaped by towering mountains and steep slopes that make the soil naturally unstable. Heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, and frequent earthquakes act as triggers, transforming serene valleys into disaster zones within minutes.

But it is not just nature that shapes this crisis. Human choices — deforestation, unplanned construction, and unsafe farming practices — have magnified the danger.

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Major Causes of Landslides in Azad Kashmir

Landslides in Azad Kashmir are not random events. They are the product of interconnected natural and human-induced causes, which together create a fragile ecological balance that can easily be disturbed.

1. Geological and Tectonic Activity

Azad Kashmir lies in a seismically active zone, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates converge. Earthquakes are frequent, with the region experiencing minor tremors throughout the year and major seismic events every few decades. The tragic earthquake of 2005 not only caused immense human loss but also destabilised entire mountain slopes across Muzaffarabad, Bagh, and Hattian Bala. Cracks formed in the soil during that disaster still act as weak points that collapse during heavy rains.

2. Heavy Rainfall and Monsoon Saturation

The monsoon season, stretching from June to September, brings intense rainfall. When water infiltrates the soil, it weakens the cohesion between soil particles. Once the ground is saturated, even a small vibration or slope disturbance can cause massive landslides. Rainfall-triggered slides are especially common in Neelum Valley and Jhelum Valley, where steep gradients and loose soil amplify the risk.

3. Deforestation and Agricultural Expansion

Forests are nature’s strongest defence against landslides. Tree roots bind the soil, absorb water, and regulate surface runoff. However, widespread deforestation across Azad Kashmir for timber, firewood, and agricultural land has stripped hillsides bare. The Forests Department (2023) notes that while 0.567 million hectares remain under forest management, much of it is threatened by illegal logging and encroachment. Without roots to anchor the soil, erosion increases and slopes give way easily during rain.

4. Unplanned Construction and Road Expansion

In recent years, rapid urbanisation and road building have reshaped the landscape. Azad Kashmir has over 19,383 km of roads, but 8,009 km are still fair-weather, unpaved routes prone to collapse in heavy rain. Poor engineering practices, coupled with a lack of drainage systems, have destabilised mountainsides. Houses built on steep slopes, especially without retaining walls, are at constant risk of being swept away.

5. Mining and Quarrying

Azad Kashmir’s mineral wealth — including granite, marble, coal, limestone, and gypsum — is valuable, but mining operations often remove the stabilising layers of rock and vegetation. This leaves the slopes exposed to rainwater infiltration and seismic movement. Unregulated extraction around Kotli and Bagh has worsened slope fragility in those districts.

6. Climate Change

Changing weather patterns have intensified rainfall events and increased temperature variations. Melting snow from higher elevations adds to the volume of water entering already saturated soils. Climate unpredictability now means landslides occur not only in monsoon months but even during winter thawing.

The Environmental and Human Toll of Landslides

When the ground moves in Azad Kashmir, lives are torn apart in seconds. Villages vanish under tonnes of earth, rivers are blocked, and families lose everything they own. The cost is not just material but emotional and generational.

Entire communities in Neelum and Hattian Bala have been displaced multiple times. Families rebuild only to see their homes swept away again. For children, education stops for months as schools are damaged or cut off by landslide-blocked roads. Farmers lose fertile soil, crops, and livestock. Each disaster deepens the cycle of poverty.

The 2014 Hattian Bala landslide serves as a haunting memory. Continuous rainfall caused massive slope failure that buried several homes. Rescue teams struggled to reach victims due to blocked access roads. Similarly, during the 2005 earthquake, the slopes around Muzaffarabad collapsed into entire neighbourhoods, compounding the already devastating quake impact.

Behind every statistic is a human story — a mother clutching her children as the ground shakes, a farmer watching his land slide into the valley, a student praying her school survives the next monsoon.

The Role of Trees in Preventing Landslides

Tree roots play a critical role in stabilising soil and reducing erosion. In Kashmir’s mountainous terrain, their roots weave through the earth like a natural net, anchoring it firmly to the bedrock. When rainwater seeps into the ground, these roots absorb much of it, reducing the water pressure that leads to slope failure.

Deep-rooted species such as oaks, pines, and deodars are especially effective. They thrive in high-altitude soils and can withstand the harsh winters of Azad Kashmir. Native species not only survive longer but also support local biodiversity, helping restore ecosystems damaged by logging and human settlement.

Tree canopies slow down raindrop impact, while leaf litter on the ground acts like a sponge, storing moisture and preventing sudden runoff. Collectively, these natural defences make tree planting one of the most sustainable and cost-effective ways to mitigate landslides.

Government initiatives like the Green Pakistan Programme and the Billion Tree Tsunami have already reforested thousands of hectares. However, sustained community participation remains the key. This is where Kashmir Welfare Foundation steps in — building on national efforts with local passion and donor trust.