PESHAWAR (The Thursday Times) — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s disaster management authority has declared eight upper districts of the province vulnerable this winter, warning that they are likely to receive more rain and snow than usual and that heavy snowfall could cut off roads in the mountains.
The districts are Upper Chitral, Lower Chitral, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Buner, Swat, Upper Kohistan, and Lower Kohistan, according to the Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA).
The authority said it had drawn up a winter contingency plan and finished advance arrangements for relief and rescue work in areas expected to get heavy snow. All relevant departments have been told to stay on alert through the season, the director general said, adding that protecting residents and getting help to them quickly would be the priority.
Heavy snow regularly closes passes and link roads in these districts, cutting off villages for days. In January this year, district administrations in Khyber and Swat ran rescue operations after vehicles were stranded by snow on roads including the Malam Jabba road, and the PDMA told district officials and the tourism department to keep emergency teams ready at tourist spots.
The week ahead
The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast rain and thunderstorms at a few places on Saturday in Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Khyber, and Kurram, with snow over the higher mountains.
Most of the country is expected to stay dry on Sunday, the Met Office said, though some parts of Kashmir and nearby mountain areas may see rain. Dry weather is forecast for most areas from November 16 to 20, while the cold in the upper regions is expected to continue.
The season’s first snow has already arrived in the north. Travellers and cargo containers were stranded at the Khunjerab Pass this week, The Thursday Times reported, and the National Disaster Management Authority warned of rain, storms, and snow across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa earlier in the week.
