GILGIT / QUETTA: A new round of rains has been battering Quetta and several other areas of northern and central Balochistan for the past 24 hours, despite the fact that the Karakoram Highway (KKH), Baltistan Road, and Astore Road partially opened for traffic in the northern part of the nation.
Thousands of passengers continue to encounter challenges as a result of the lack of transportation between Gilgit-Baltistan and other regions of the nation, even with the partial opening of major routes.
After being closed for five days, KKH reopened, however until the road was fully restored, people were warned not to travel on it.
According to GB government spokesperson Faizullah Faraq, large landslides caused by recent rain and snowfall have blocked KKH at several spots in the Kohistan districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Diamer of Gilgit-Baltistan section. This information was reported to Dawn.
He claimed that despite KKH being reopened for one-way traffic on Tuesday, new landslides had closed the route in the Pattan area of KP, stranding thousands of travelers in various locations.
According to him, traffic is now partially restored on both sides of KKH, and the area between KKH Kohistan and Diamer has been cleared.
In light of the ongoing risk of landslides on KKH due to rockfall in susceptible regions, Mr. Faraq emphasized and advised travelers to stay away from needless travel for the next three days.
Travelers said that heavy traffic was then suspended in the area until the dirt was removed from the road because of a mud flow in Chilas at KKH, which left high vehicles stuck.
On Wednesday, modest traffic was allowed to resume on the Baltistan Road and Astore Road, which had been closed for the previous five days.
GB CM requests Rs. 10 billion
Haji Gulber Khan, the Chief Minister of GB, has proposed the allocation of Rs. 10 billion towards the enhancement of the Baltistan highway.
In a letter addressed to the Pakistani Planning Commission’s Deputy Chairman, Chief Minister Gulbar Khan outlined the problem and requested Rs. 10 billion for the damaged Baltistan Highway. He emphasized that the only thing keeping the people of the Baltistan region alive is Shahrah-i-Baltistan. This road is crucial not only for civilian movement but also for strategic reasons.
It should be noted that the Baltistan Road upgrade was finished in 2022 at a cost of Rs31 billion.
New phase of rainfall
While Ziarat, Khanozai, and Muslim Bagh had snowfall on Wednesday, the provincial capital Quetta and several other areas of northern and central Balochistan have been battered by fresh rains for the past 24 hours.
Tuesday night saw the beginning of Quetta’s intense rainstorm, which persisted until late evening with just brief breaks. The precipitation seeped into several homes, causing problems for the residents of the downstream neighborhoods and flooding downstream.
Rainwater began to run into the drains and accumulated on the roads and streets as a result of overflowing drains and clogged sewerage systems, severely impairing traffic in Quetta as well. The streets’ drain water flow had an additional negative effect on traffic.
According to officials, Ziarat, Sanjavi, Kan-Mehtarzai, Muslim Bagh, Khanozai, Qila Saifullah, Pishin, Toba Achakzai, and Qila Abdullah had snowfall once more last night. On Wednesday, the snowfall continued intermittently throughout the day. The amount of snowfall had a major impact on inter-district traffic.
The district officials of Ziarat and Qila Saifullah stated that although the roads were not completely closed, they advised people to avoid making unnecessary travel. “The snow, received in parts of northern Balochistan, froze on highways, making the roads slippery and restricting the movement of heavy traffic between many areas,” the officials said.
There is a barrier to easy movement on the Quetta-Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan highway because of landslides in the Dhanasar area between Sherani and Dera Ismail Khan. According to the NHA and PDMA authorities, work was being done to clear the landslide debris and restore traffic on the route. They also mentioned that large equipment had already been dispatched to the location.
Since Khojak Pass connects Quetta with Kandahar via Chaman, snowfall there has also impacted traffic between Quetta and the border town of Chaman.
According to reports, rain was also recorded in Sherani, Zhob, Qila Abdullah, Pishin, Kalat, Mastung, Khuzdar, Barkhan, Musakhail, Chagai, Dalbandin, Washuk, Kharan, and Panjgur. On Wednesday, there was mild rain in the coastal area of Gwadar, which had already seen the most intense downpour during the previous period, resulting in the collapse of numerous houses and the displacement of hundreds of people.
The second bout of rain also hit Pasni and Jewani, although no losses have been reported in the Makran region as of yet.
