MANSEHRA/ALPURI: Upper parts of the Hazara Division on Thursday received a fresh spell of heavy snowfall and rain, while intermittent light rain and snowfall continued for the fifth consecutive day in parts of the Malakand Division, intensifying the cold and severely disrupting daily life.
The snowfall, which started in the early hours in Kaghan, Siran, Konsh, Koh-i-Makra valleys and other high-altitude parts of the division, continued intermittently throughout the day.The link roads, which connect hundreds of villages with the Karakoram Highway and Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, were blocked due to landslides in different parts of the district.
“Nobody was expecting two weeks ago that the temperature, which had become hot as in early summer, would again turn to a level where mercury dropped below the freezing level in mountainous parts, causing severe cold in urban areas as well,” Sheikh Ghafoor, a local, said.
He said that people who had started wearing summer outfits were compelled by the shivering cold to take out their shawls, jackets, sweaters and other such items made of sheep wool.“We have been hearing about significant changes in the weather pattern in the division, but experienced it ourselves as now the coldness matches December and January again, even after turning hot late February and early March this year,” Ghafoor said.
Also, Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas received heavy downpour throughout the day.The rain, which started on Wednesday night, continued all day intermittently.
According to locals, various parts of the rivers and streams in Mansehra and the rest of the upper parts of Hazara have been flowing high, but not to a dangerous level. The Kunhar River, Siran River and Indus River, according to locals, swelled to a high level and started eroding banks.
Meanwhile, rains and Snowfall Continue for fifth day in parts of Malakand divisionIn Shangla, hailstorms, and snowfall have disrupted normal routines across several areas including Alpuri, Bisham, Puran, Chakesar and surrounding localities. In upper regions such as Ghorband, Leloni and Martung, light snowfall has been recorded intermittently, further bringing down temperatures.
The severe cold winds and falling temperatures have created difficulties for residents, particularly for those observing fasting during Ramadan.Meanwhile, the power supply system operated by the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has been badly affected due to the ongoing rains. Multiple feeders are facing frequent outages, with some areas experiencing power cuts lasting up to four hours. Residents have expressed concern over unannounced load-shedding and urged authorities to take immediate notice.
