Heavy snowfall reported in northern Balochistan

Roads not blocked, PDMA technical teams on the ground to assist tourists and passengers

QUETTA:

Toba Achakzai mountain range, Ziarat, Kan Metarzai and various parts of northern Balochistan received snowfall and heavy rain on Wednesday morning.

The snow covered ancient juniper forests of Ziarat are visible from miles way attracting crowds of tourists to the scenic valley.

“Our family has come from Quetta to enjoy the snow in Ziarat,” Suliman, a young tourist told The Express Tribune.

The provincial disaster management authority (PDMA) deployed all its technical staff and heavy machinery to make sure uninterrupted flow of traffic from Ziarat to Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

“We have put deputy commissioners of 12 districts on high alert to tackle any emergency situation,” PDMA Director-General Naseer Ahmed Nasar said.

He, however, added that no road had been blocked due to snow and that PDMA technical teams were on the ground to assist the tourists and passengers. Videos and images shared on social media showed levies personnel engaged in removing heaps of white snow from roads in Ziarat to make sure smooth flow of traffic.

Besides Ziarat, Kan Mehtarzai, Toba Kakarai and Toba Achakzai, the mountainous ranges bordering Afghanistan also received heavy snowfall.

Heavy machinery was deployed at the main Khojak Top linking Pakistan with Afghanistan to ensure the flow of traffic and assist the passengers traveling between the two countries. Quetta also received heavy rainfall on Wednesday.

The weather turned colder and people preferred to be confined to their homes.

However, the locals complained about low gas pressure and gas load shedding in various localities of the provincial capital.

“There is no gas pressure since morning despite the freezing temperatures,” Muhammad Ibrahim, a resident of Kanrani Road, Quetta complained.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2023.