MANSEHRA, July 30: The Kaghan valley is facing a serious environmental threat at the hands of the local people, who are involved in breaking ice blocks for the glaciers to sell them in different markets of Hazara division.

“The people break the glaciers and supply the ice to Mansehra and other towns in Hazara to make easy money. It is disturbing the ecosystem of the valley,” Adnan Ali, an expert, told journalists.

The scorching heat in almost all parts of the country has increased the demand of ice manifold. Some local people of Kaghan were benefiting from the hot weather, he added Mr Ali said that people involved in selling the ice were destroying the glaciers in the valley. He said that a century-old glacier near Naran was the main target of those people.

He said that a large number of people were involved in the business who had parked their vehicles at prominent places and to sell the ice.

BAN: The administration of Mansehra has imposed ban on renting out houses and buildings to non-local people in the district.

“The residents of Shangla, Kohistan and Torghar have rented houses in Mansehra without any proper verification.

It poses serious threat to the law and order in the district therefore henceforth nobody could give his/her house on rent to non-local,” said the notification issued by DCO Dr Amber Ali Khan here on Monday.

The notification said that the district police officer had knowledge of the practice of renting out houses to suspected people of the three districts that was a serious threat to law and order, people and police.

The notification said that nobody was allowed to rent his house to Afghan refugees. The violators would be taken to justice, it added.

The administration has also decided to enhance police patrolling in the city and adjacent areas after the bomb blast at a CD shop outside the main bus terminal on Sunday. Two persons were injured in the blast.