Upper Hazara receives heavy rain and snowfall

MANSEHRA: The upper parts of the Hazara division received heavy rain with thunder, lightning, and snowfall in scattered areas on Monday, turning the weather cold.

The rain, accompanied by lightning and thunderstorms, began in the early hours and continued intermittently throughout the day in Mansehra, Torghar, Kolai-Palas, Upper Kohistan, and Lower Kohistan districts.

Rivers and streams swelled following the heavy rain, but no loss of life or property was reported across the division.“The water levels in the Kunhar, Indus, and Siran Rivers have increased due to the rainfall in the area,” a local resident said.

The upper areas of the Kaghan Valley experienced the season’s second snowfall, increasing the cold in the upper part of the division.Indigenous communities in Battakundi, Barawai, and neighbouring villages in the upper Kaghan Valley began migrating to lower parts of the Hazara division to spend the winter, as the valley typically remains uninhabited throughout the season.Traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan was blocked during the first snowfall in the Kaghan Valley late last month.