Mughal Road shut after snowfall in hilly areas in J&K
Officials said the rains intensified in the valley and Jammu division for the second day with the meteorological centre in Srinagar predicting more wet weather till April 30
Incessant rains lashed Jammu and Kashmir with light snowfall in some mountainous areas prompting the closure of the Mughal road and Srinagar-Ladakh highway.
Officials said the rains intensified in the valley and Jammu division for the second day with the meteorological centre in Srinagar predicting more wet weather till April 30.
Traffic officials said the mountainous Mughal road, which connects south Kashmir with the Pir Panjal region of Jammu, was closed owing to rains and snowfall at Pir ki Gali. They said the road was slippery with chances of shooting stones on the treacherous thoroughfare.
“Like the Mughal road, the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri(SSG) highway was also closed owing to the rains,” said an official of the traffic control room.
“The Srinagar-Jammu highway was open but was regulated owing to slippery road conditions and single-lane at certain places,” he said.
Director MeT Mukhtar Ahmad said April will end on a wet note as the weather this season was typical spring weather.
He said the frequency of western disturbances – winds blowing from the Mediterranean – remain maximum in March and April.
Heavy rainfall on April 28, 29
“Next four days will witness inclement weather with chances of heavy rainfall on April 28 and 29 at certain places and snowfall over mountains,” he said.
“Sunday will be cloudy with intermittent rains from the evening,” he said.
He said farmers should suspend farm operations till April 30 while also predicting temporary disruption of traffic over higher reaches of Zojila, Sinthan Pass, Mughal Road, Razdan Pass, etc.
He also advised people living near water bodies like Jhelum and streams to be cautious in water travel or going near them. “The water can temporarily rise in rivers and nallahs and people living nearby should exhibit caution. Similarly, there can be gusty winds so people and tourists should avoid boating over Dal Lake, Wular Lake and Nigeen,” he said.
He said that the mountainous districts like Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and Reasi are thunderstorm-prone areas. “There are chances of lightning. So avoid venturing into fields during the inclement weather,” he said.
Director agriculture Iqbal Choudhary also advised farmers to avoid stagnation of water in crops. “The high-tech farmers, who have high-value vegetable crops, should especially prevent stagnation of water around the boundaries to avoid crop deterioration,” he said.