Muzaffarabad, Dec. 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, accele...