PESHAWAR: Heavy rains and snowfall lashed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining tribal areas on Monday with a house roof collapse killing an infant in Mardan district.

Malam Jaba skiing resort and Nathiagalli hill station received 16 and 18 inches snow, respectively.

A spokesman for the Rescue 1122 said a one-year-old boy died and his mother suffered injuries when roof of a house collapsed in Baghecha Dehri area on Swabi Road in Mardan.

Also, a man was injured after a vehicle fell into a ditch in Upper Dir.

Downpour damages houses, causes road mishaps, traffic jams

The injured was shifted to a Peshawar hospital. The heavy rain caused damages to several houses in Bajaur Agency as well. However, no loss of life has been reported.

The local Met Office forecast rains in plains and heavy snowfall in high altitude areas of the province and Fata during next 24 hours. The rains ended the prolonged dry spell in the region.

The downpour although ended the dry spell proved a nightmare for the residents of Peshawar due to the ongoing work on the Bus Rapid Transit project.

Massive traffic jam was seen on various roads of the provincial capital.

The GT Road, University Road and other arteries passing through the city and cantonment had been dug out for the multi-billion rupees project.

Light vehicles remained stuck up in the thick slush on the University Road for quite some time.

According to the Met Office, Peshawar received 13mm rains in 13 hours, while 27mm rainfall was recorded in Upper Dir, 24mm in Timergara, 31mm in Saidu Sharif and 37mm in Malam Jabba.

A heavy snowfall was reported in Nathiagali, Thandiani and other hilly areas of Galiyat. Though the region has no weather station to record rain and snow, the local police said over two feet snow had fallen on the main Abbottabad –Nathiagali Road.

Some pockets had received more than three feet snow, which began falling in the early hours of Monday.

The main roads and link roads in the entire Galiyat were closed to all sorts of traffic.

The power supply was suspended in the morning but was restored in the evening, while all bazaars and shops remained closed. A large number of tourists were found to be stranded in hotels and private houses.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority and communication and works department failed to mobilise machinery to remove snow from the roads.

A heavy snowfall was reported in upper parts of Shangla, while rain lashed plain areas on the second consecutive day turning the weather chilly.

The Alpuri-Puran Road and Bisham-Swat Road on Shangla Top blocked due to the heavy snowfall. Electric supply was suspended in some areas of the district.

In the day, the Upper Dir town received first snowfall in three years.

Heavy snow blanketed Lowari Top, Kumrat, Doog Dara and others areas.

According to reports, Dir-Lowari Tunnel Road remained close to traffic due to avalanches at various places, including Maina Khwar and near Lowari Tunnel.

A vehicle fell into ravine injuring the driver, who was shifted to Peshawar in critical condition. Power supply remained suspended in hilly areas. Battagram and its adjoining areas also received rain and snow, which dropped temperature. A heavy snowfall was also reported in the remote Galey Maidan and Srei Oba areas. Battagram hills received second snowfall of the season.

Rain and snow lashed upper parts of Hazara. The rain, which ended the prolonged dry spell in Mansehra, Torghar and upper and Lower Kohistan districts, began in the morning and continued all through the day intermittently.

The hilly and mountainous parts of Hazara division also received a heavy snowfall, while snowfall in Kaghan and Shogran blocked the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road.

Various links roads leading to Shogran and other parts of the district were also blocked due heavy snowfall and landslides.

The rainwater flooded roads in the city, including Karakoram Highway, inconveniencing motorist and passersby.

A fresh wave of rain in the plain areas and snowfall on the mountains began on Sunday night turned the weather severely cold.

According to the Met Office, Kalam, Utror, Gabral and Ushu valleys received from 12 to 16 inches snowfall plunging the temperature to minus 11 degree Celsius.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2018