Srinagar, Nov. 3 -- The Zabarwan Hills have long been part of Srinagar's identity. Rising above Dal Lake, their forests soften the city's skyline, shelter wildlife and protect slopes that are as ecologically fragile as they are visible. Yet in recent years, the same hills have repeatedly revealed another face, dry ridgelines glowing with fire, smoke drifting across the valley and emergency crews struggling to reach terrain never designed for rapid intervention.

Each blaze is more than an isolated forestry incident. It exposes a wider vulnerability in Kashmir's approach to environmental risk, one that places too much weight on emergency response and too little on prevention. The question is no longer whether the Zabarwan can burn, it can,...