Muzaffarabad: Heavy rain and snowfall have led to the closure of several roads across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), causing major disruptions to transportation and isolating various areas.
The country is still experiencing severe cold and harsh weather. The connecting highways in northern upper Balochistan were closed to traffic following rain and snowfall.
In the mountainous regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Kashmir, snowfall persisted on an intermittent basis. Due to snowfall, the land link of Grace Valley was severed, and the connecting roads of several upper locations were also closed.
After a heavy snowfall in the Grace Valley region of AJK, the Pakistani military was forced to carry out a rescue operation. Coming to the aid of residents of the snowbound valley.
The Army used helicopters to evacuate patients and residents who were stuck in Grace Valley due to recent snowfall. Another helicopter was used to transfer a group of seven medical personnel, including two gynecologists, from Muzaffarabad to Halmat. The Pakistan Army is to be commended.
Two gynecologists were among the seven doctors who were transferred to Helmat. The residents of Taobat and Helmat received the necessary medical care. A free medical camp was also set up at Sardari, and serious cases were sent to Kiel and Muzaffarabad based on their medical needs.
The route from Kiel to Taobat was being opened by Pakistan Army and civil administration personnel and equipment. The Pakistan Army offered helicopter services to remove patients and locals, and a 25-kilometer route was opened to Helmat.
Previously, AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq had instructed the launch of a medical emergency response team to the snow-affected areas of Neelum Valley, Halmat.
The seven-member medical team includes Dr Waqar Ashraf Butt, child specialist; Dr Arshad Raja, additional medical officer; Dr Sajid Ali Gorsi, Dr Tariq Abdullah, Dr Sadaf Sarfraz, Dr Rafia Karim, and Dr Hina Munawar.
The Medical Emergency Response Team was to set up a medical camp in Helmat for fifteen days. The medical teams had highly professional doctors. In the second phase, separate camps for Sharda, Phalwai, and other areas teams were expected to be dispatched.
Road shutdowns, interrupted transit, power outages, landslides, difficulties reaching remote areas, and possible infrastructure damage from heavy snow accumulation, especially in mountainous areas like the Neelum Valley and Leepa Valley, are just a few of the major problems that snowfall in AJK frequently causes, negatively affecting both local life and tourism.
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