MANSEHRA: The district administration on Friday warned tourists against visiting Kaghan valley during Eid holidays over threats to their life by glacier collapses and landslides.

It also said the main road to the valley was blocked at various points.

“Ice mass is collapsing down the slopes of hills at five points causing fears of the burial of vehicles under it and therefore, tourists shouldn’t travel to Kaghan valley on Eid,” deputy commissioner Bilal Shahid Rao told reporters after visiting Rajwal area of Balakot tehsil.

He said the district administration had moved machinery to the region to remove the mass of dirt and glacial ice to restore traffic but the continuous rain and snowfall were hampering the operations.

“The inclement weather has forced us into stopping people both locals and tourists to move beyond Rajwal area,” he said.

Admin says landslides blocking roads in Mansehra, Dir, Swat

The DC said that the district administration had set up helpline to seek the help of Rescue 1122, district and tehsil administrations in case of emergency.

Glacier collapses in Kali Mitti, Lambi Patti, Chitta Khatta, Gorian and Kapain areas have blocked the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road to traffic.

The downpour-induced landslides have also been reported on the road, which links Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Gilgit-Baltistan.

A cold wave has swept across upper parts of Hazara division, especially mountainous areas, following snowfall in Kaghan valley and other areas of high altitude.

Also, water level is high in the Kunhar River and Manor stream, which swelled last year due to heavy rains to cause devastations in Balakot tehsil.

Separately, authorities in Upper Dir district have also directed tourists to avoid visiting river banks due to increased flow following recent rains. Besides, they said, more rains were also likely to cause landsliding on the road leading to Kumrat valley.

In addition to this, they said, road has been completely washed away at Badar area, leading to suspension of traffic to the scenic Kumrat valley. Authorities said they were working to restore the damaged portion of the road. The authorities also advised the tourists to avoid visiting Kumrat in Eid holidays due to threat of landsliding and increased flow of water.

On the other hand, the KP tourism department stated that all the roads in Upper and Lower Dir district were open except Kumrat Road, which was only open to four-wheelers. On the other hand, Utror-Dir road has been closed to traffic.

It said that the road to scenic Behrain and Kalam areas of Swat was also closed due to the recent rains.

However, rest of the district roads were open, the tourism department added.

Locals said that Daral bridge, which linked Behrain and Kalam, was also destroyed in recent rains. Similarly, the road was also washed away at three places.

Galiyat region will, however, remain open for tourists.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2023