SWAT: The winter’s first snowfall broke the long dry spell in Swat valley. The valley, which usually remains covered in snow during winter, has been dry since the monsoon floods that savaged the area in July and August.
Reaction to the snowfall has been ambivalent. It has been welcomed by those living in lower parts of the picturesque valley while people in upper Swat fear that it may multiply their troubles.
The mountain peaks at Malam Jaba, Marghuzar, Kalam and Utror are covered in snow, blocking several roads and trails in the surrounding areas.
Hazrat Said, a resident of Utror who treks to Mingora for shopping daily, told the Express Tribune, “I am trapped here since the road back home is blocked by snow. I may have to walk 120 km back home, as my family is short on food items.”
Attaur Rahman, a resident of Kalam, said that his family was in trouble as the blocked trail from Bahrain to Kalam was the only source of communication between the two areas. He demanded that an alternative route from Madyan, which could be crucial for all of upper Swat, must be constructed. He lamented, “The government has taken no action till now.”
On the other hand, Said Ali Gauhar, a resident of Mingora, joyfully said, “We were eagerly awaiting rain, as the dry weather gave rise to a number of diseases and wasted crops.”According to the Meteorological Department at Mingora, the temperature dropped to minus 10 degrees Celsius.
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