Murree calling: Planning a trip uphill? Use the Rawalpindi-Murree Kashmir highway

Murree receives 2 feet of snow, temperatures dip as rain continues.

MURREE/ ISLAMABAD:

People planning to make the most of the second snowfall of the season in Murree should use the old Rawalpindi-Murree Kashmir Highway instead of the Islamabad-Murree Expressway.

The advisory was issued by the Murree authorities on Friday in a pre-emptive move to keep the traffic to the popular hill resort manageable. The first snow had attracted more than 50,000 people by some estimates, resulting in long queues of vehicles.

The white blanket in Murree was refreshed by at least two feet of snow on Friday. Other parts of the country, including the twin cities, plains in Punjab and plains and hills in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa also received ample rain, causing temperatures to dip.

Islamabad received 7mm of rain on Friday, while Rawalpindi received 8mm. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the rain will continue on Saturday (today) and might even carry through to Sunday in some parts of the country, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.



The fog in various parts of the country has also been reduced, according to the PMD. The weather will remain cold over the next few days.

The current spell of rains will also have a positive impact on rabbi crops, experts said on Friday. Agriculture Policy Development Institute (API) Chief Abdul Rauf Chaudhry told APP that the rain will positively impact the wheat crop, as the plant has started sprouting and it is time to water the fields.

He said the situation this year is much better compared to last year. However, the final sowing figures will not be in before the second week of January, he added.

Chaudhry said the recent spell of rains will also be beneficial for other minor crops, including fruit, vegetables and pulses grown over a vast area of the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2012.