Karakoram: Thousands of travelers between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa found themselves stranded on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) for the third day as landslides triggered by heavy rains blocked multiple points along the main route. Continuous rainfall and snowfall over the past three days have disrupted life in the region, leading to power outages in various areas as temperatures dropped below freezing.

According to Ghulam Abbas, Deputy Director of the National Highway Authority (NHA), approximately 50 different points along the KKH were blocked, including Shetan Pari (at KKH number 241), Lotar (327), Hurban Nullah (362), Thor Nullah (391), Pani Baa (319 and 320), and parts of GB’s Diamer. Abbas stated that contractor companies have been enlisted to assist with road clearance efforts, expressing confidence that the highway would be accessible to all types of vehicles by Wednesday morning. Clearance teams from Bisham, Pattan, Barseen, and Chilas are actively working on clearing the roads, with some areas already accommodating one-way traffic.

In addition to the KKH blockages, link roads in KP’s Shangla, Kohistan, and Battagram were also affected by heavy showers, resulting in damaged vehicles. Despite the inconvenience, stranded passenger Irfan Sakhi praised the cooperation of local hotel and restaurant owners. Rainfall in lower areas and snowfall in upper areas began on Monday morning and persisted until evening, leading to flight suspensions between Islamabad, Skardu, and Gilgit, along with disruptions in mobile and internet connectivity in many regions. The GB government issued an alert predicting heavy rainfall and snowfall in the region from Feb 19 to 27 after a period of prolonged dry weather conditions.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 22 2024

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.