MANSEHRA: The upper parts of Hazara division on Wednesday received a fresh spell of snowfall and turned the weather cold.

The snowfall continued intermittently for the entire day in Kaghan, Shogran, Konsh and Siren valleys. The high altitude parts of Torghar and Kohistan districts also received snowfall.

Tourists thronged Shogran and other scenic valleys in the division to enjoy the snowfall.

“The road, which links Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road with Shogran, has been blocked following the snowfall but four-wheelers using the chains are still taking tourists to this scenic resort,” said Jabran Ali, a tourist.

Tourists throng Swat, Galiyat, Shogran and other scenic valleys

In Abbottabad, the scenic Galiyat valley started receiving seventh spell of snowfall on Wednesday morning.

Galiyat had received its first spell in November last while the last sixth spell started on January 2 that caused blockade of most of the local roads.

The locals and police said that the seventh spell of snowfall started early in the morning on Wednesday. They said that low lying areas of Galiyat received four to six inches of snow while the hilly area received six to nine inches. They said that the spell was expected to continue for the next two days.

The residents of different villages of Bakot circle told this correspondent by telephone that most of the local roads remained blocked by snow for more than 10 days, however, the road was cleared on Tuesday evening. They feared that roads would again get blocked due to the new spell of snowfall.

In Swat, tourists from across the country thronged different places after the fresh spell of snowfall on Wednesday.

Tourists from Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and other parts of the country visited Malam Jabba, Gabin Jabba, Miandam and other areas of Swat to enjoy snowfall.

The tourists, who were enjoying snowfall in Kalam, said that they were happy to find the roads open. “We were afraid that road to Kalam would be blocked due to snowfall but luckily it was open and we came without any hurdle,” said Iftikhar Ahmad, a tourist.

The tourists said there were many scenic areas in Swat that could accommodate thousands of tourists at a time.

Zahoor Ahmad, a tourist from Lahore, said that tourists could come to Swat to find the true natural beauty during winter.

The district administration said that heavy machinery was present on the roads to Kalam, Malam Jabba, Gabin Jabba and other snowbound areas to keep the road clear. However, it urged tourists to use snow chains if they had small vehicles.

In Bajaur, fresh spell of rain continued for the second consecutive day.

The rain, which started on Tuesday afternoon, continued throughout the day till filling of this report on Wednesday evening.

According to locals, rain was reported from across the district while the hilly areas also received snowfall that turned the weather cold in the region.

According to Met office, the rain was expected to be continued till Thursday evening.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2022