Inclement weather: Life screeches to a halt in Chitral, Abbottabad

Power supply disrupted in Chitral for 72 hours; roads in Galiyat remained closed

ABBOTTABAD/CHITRAL: Routine life screeched to a halt in Chitral and Abbottabad as heavy rain and snowfall continued for a third day on Friday.

Residents told The Express Tribune power supply remained disrupted in Chitral for 72 hours.

They said the inclement weather has affected the lives of locals. Prolonged power failures have left various hospitals in a deplorable condition. A large number of businesses have been adversely affected by the power breakdown. According to insiders, the power supply that used to come from Lowari Top to Chitral has also been suspended.

Bashir Hussain, a social worker from Chitral, told The Express Tribune the breakdown occurred because of the negligence of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) employees.  When contacted, a Wapda employee said their vehicles cannot travel to Lowari Top to repair the fault.

Winter fury

Following heavy snowfall in Hazara Division, most of the link roads in Galiyat Valley and Mansehra remained closed for the second consecutive day.

As a result, traffic flow remained suspended. Power supply also remained disrupted, causing problems to residents. “Low gas pressure is adding to our problems,” a local told The Express Tribune. In Mansehra, over 25 link roads remained closed and electricity was suspended in 80% of the region for over 40 hours.

Mansehra city has received 12 feet of snow after a decade. As a result, many routes, including Karakoram Highway, remained closed.

According to PTCL officials, telephone lines were also damaged at several places. Mansehra district nazim Sardar Said Ghulam said several mud houses and poultry farms were also damaged.

“However, machinery has been sent to the affected areas to clear the roads,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th,  2016.