A systemic flaw? Boy dies in landslide as rains, snow wreak havoc

Galiyat locals claim link roads under snow; GDA says all routes cleared

UPPER DIR/ABBOTTABAD: Continuous rain and snowfall wreaked havoc as a young boy died and his mother was injured in a landslide in Sheringal, Upper Dir on Sunday. Most link roads in Galiyat remained under snow for the second consecutive day, creating problems for locals.

Police officials said Salim Aslam, 17, and his mother Rubina were passing through Gumma Dandh in Sheringal when they were buried under a landslide. Salim died on the spot while his mother sustained injuries. Soon after the incident, locals rescued Rubina and shifted her to the hospital for treatment.

Pakistan Meteorological Department official Waqar Ahmed said, “The weather system which entered the area three days back has lost force and we expect clear weather across the province in the coming three days.” He added they have not received any reports from their observatories regarding rain or snow.

However, residents of Galiyat Valley told The Express Tribune snowfall and rain lashed the region; all link roads, including the main Abbottabad-Murree Road, were covered with six to seven inches of snow.

As a result, vehicular traffic on all roads linking several rural localities was suspended and authorities failed to take measures to resolve the crisis.

A resident of Nathiagali, Sardar Waqar, said Nathiagali-Malach Road, Nathiagali-Bakot Road, Dunga Gali-Sukakas Road, Mochidhara-Jaswara Road, Kalabagh-Sajangali Road, Baragali-Chahar Road and other arteries were not cleared due to negligence of the authorities. He said although the highway authorities used machinery and salt to clear some roads, these efforts were not enough to clear and link routes remained inaccessible.

The blame game

Those familiar with the matter told The Express Tribune each year the K-P Highways Authorities, Communication and Works (C&W) department and Galiyat Development Authority hand over contracts worth Rs10 million to private contractors to clear the snow.

According to locals, contractors avoid sending machines to the area to save money. “Despite repeated requests, contractors do not spread salt which helps ice and snow to melt”, said Hanif Sardar, a resident of Bakot. He said, the roads remained slippery making it difficult for them to drive safely.

Residents of dozens of villages are forced to go to reach markets and their places of education and employment by foot, covering long distances in the harsh weather.

The flip side

When contacted for comments, GDA Director Raza Habib said roads were not entirely covered with snow. He added the snow removing process starts when the snow reaches four inches in depth. Even though it snowed Saturday night, the contractors had it removed Sunday.

Habib said four agencies were involved in the Galiyat region, including GDA which maintains 29 kilometres
of road.

The provincial highway authority has 35km of road to maintain. He added C&W looked after 26km in its administrative area and Abbottabad Tehsil Municipal Authority oversees 35km.

He added GDA, C&W and the provincial highways award contracts worth Rs10 million and above to various contractors annually but the TMA hardly contracts out snow clearing. Habib said GDA regularly used salt to clear the roads.

In response to a question, he told The Express Tribune he shared a proposal with the district administration about giving the snow clearing work to GDA so complaints of the people could be addressed more effectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st,  2016.