Rain & snowfall bring chill to upper parts of KP

PESHAWAR: The mountainous parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been in the grip of a severe cold owing to continuous rain and snowfall over the last few days.

Reports pouring in from Upper Chitral said that Booni, the headquarters of the district, had received unprecedented snowfall over the last few days.

“The life has come to a standstill in the town as it has been snowing over the last three days. The snowfall continues and people are facing severe problems while travelling to far-off areas,” said Atiqur Rahman, a lawyer in Booni. He urged authorities to take precautionary measures to cope with any emergency-like situation. The Yarkun valley, Torkhow, Murkhow and Laspur valley have also received heavy snowfall.

The motorists have to face serious inconvenience due to heavy snowfall near Lowari Tunnel in Upper Dir. However, the tunnel remained open for traffic throughout the day. Kalam and other mountainous areas in Swat also received snowfall, intensifying the cold. The mercury also dipped in the provincial capital as it received intermittent rain throughout the day. The rain in Peshawar started early in the morning and continued throughout the day.

OUR CORRESPONDENT ADDS FROM ABBOTTABAD: Routine life remained paralysed as heavy rain and snowfall continued to lash Hazara division for the last three days.

The weather turned chillier after a heavy rain and snowfall, forcing the people, particularly children and elderly ones to stay indoors.

Locals said that electricity and gas loadshedding multiplied their woes while continued snowfall blocked the roads in Kaghan, Naran, Galiyat and other mountainous areas of the Hazara division.

They complained that they were compelled to buy liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders and wood for domestic use at an exorbitant rate owing to the suspension of power and gas supply in the area.

According to reports, people in Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur and other towns faced low gas pressure and most of them were not able to cook food at home for themselves.

Also, the roads in tourist spots, including Kaghan, Naran, Galiyat, Thandiani, Battagram and other hilly areas remained blocked due to two feet snowfall.