Protest held in PoK on World Environment Day to save Neelum-Jhelum Rivers

Updated:6 years, 5 months ago

Muzaffarabad (PoK), Jun 05 (ANI): On the occasion of World Environment Day, the people in Muzaffarabad city of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) carried out a protest against the government’s decision to divert the water of River Jhelum and build hydro-power projects that it built on River Neelum. The people have been protesting for the past 72 days. The residents of Muzaffarabad now want that river water levels should be restored to internationally set standards. They also demand that government that has been extensively involved in the damage of ecology along the river must work expeditiously into protecting the environment and plant the trees it has promised on a number of occasions. This movement against the government, which started with a few people, gathered steam after an appeal by the leaders to unite against the cruel designs of establishment, resonated amongst the masses. The construction of hydropower projects on river Neelum had severely affected the life of indigenous people with a large number of them migrating to other places. And now with the proposed construction of the Kohala project on river Jhelum, the plights are set to compound.