KOHAT, Jan 10: Wheat and guava crops over thousands of acres were destroyed when a fresh spell of heavy rain coupled with hailstorm lashed the Kohat district on Wednesday night.

The district has received 67mm of rains during the last five days with the minimum temperature touching zero degrees Celsius. The local Met office said that temperature could further decrease if the rain spell continued.

Snowfall of three to five feet in the Orakzai Agency brought down the temperature to minus eight degrees Celsius, paralysing the life in the agency.

The Maidan area which connects the Orakzai Agency to Khyber Agency has received over 10 feet of snowfall and the route has been closed for traffic.

An official told Dawn from Kalaya, the headquarters of Orakzai Agency, that mountains, trees and roads had been covered by snow and in some areas motorists have been finding it difficult to pass.

Kalaya-Angri and Kalaya-Maidan roads used by pedestrians have become impassable and people have been confined to their homes owing to extremely chilly weather.

In Kohat, losses to growers run in millions as wheat crop on the Bannu road was completely destroyed by the hailstorm.

The agriculture department has advised the farm owners to get one crop a year to increase their income because the lifespan of fruit in winter is between five and six hours as compared to summer when it perishes in one or two hours.

Kohat Farmers Association president Saifullah Khan Khattak called for waiver of water and other taxes in view of the losses suffered by farmers.