GILGIT/QUETTA: New snowfall and rainstorms disturbed business and civic life in portions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan on Monday, with temperatures in some places dropping to minus 14 degrees Celsius.
Since snowfall and snowstorms are also predicted for both regions today (Wednesday), there won’t be much chance of reprieve.
Roads in Gilgit-Baltistan’s higher regions became slick, forcing the suspension of transportation. For several hours, traffic was stopped on Ghizer-Gilgit Road, Astore Valley Road, and the Hunza Nagar stretch of the Karakoram Highway.
The local government and NHA and Levies staff in Balochistan were working tirelessly to keep traffic running normally on the Quetta-Chaman Highway by consistently clearing snow from the Khojak Top, but a lot of snow kept getting in the way of their efforts.
Rain and snow make living difficult, and a protracted power outage makes things more worse.
NHA General Manager Agha Inayat Ullah asserted, “We have cleared the Quetta-Chaman-Kandahar Highway at Khojak Pass, and traffic is continuing from Quetta to Kandahar.”
The upper regions of Ghizer district, including Phander and Yasin, as well as the upper regions of Astore, Hunza, Nagar, Ghanche, Shigar, Babusar Pass, and certain parts in Diamer, had a new snowfall on Monday, according to the GB administration.
The weather was made more worse by the six inches of snow that fell in several places.
The weather wasn’t the only factor that disrupted Gilgit-Baltistan residents’ planned activities; a protracted power outage had a devastating impact on their daily life.
The majority of Gilgit-Baltistan has been without power for 22 hours, according to locals.
People in the upper areas were also having trouble getting to medical facilities because of the lack of electricity and problems with road communication.
Without electricity, hotels and other tourist attractions could not operate, therefore all commercial activity, including tourism, remained closed.
The Astore Valley Road may experience landslides, according to a news statement from the district administration. Travelers heading to and from Astore were encouraged to use safety chains on their tires and to avoid making needless trips on the road at night or during snowfall.
Additionally, the district administration advised residents in snow avalanche-prone areas to take preventative precautions to prevent any unfortunate events.
Rain and snowfall in Balochistan persisted on the mountains around the Quetta region as well as in the villages of Ziarat, Qila Abdullah, Khanozai, Muslim Bagh, and Chaman.
Roadblocks and interruptions in gas and electricity supply were experienced by residents in a number of impacted locations.
According to reports, the rains produced floods in streams and low-lying areas, making movement difficult in Quetta, Qila Abdullah, Chaman, Dalbandin, Nushki, Chagai, Kalat, Mastung, Muslim Bagh, Khanozai, Ziarat, and other places.
The public was also inconvenienced by gas load-shedding and power disruptions.
