Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar Oct 19: Incessant rains lashed Kashmir valley today with hills receiving fresh snowfall closing the Mughal road for traffic due to slippery conditions and leading to dip in the temperature.
The rainfall across Kashmir started last night and continued throughout the day. Around 150 trucks were stranded in snow near Pir Ki Gali and 141 out of them have been moved out to safer locations.
A Meteorological Department official told Excelsior that Srinagar received 5.8 millimeters of rain today since 8:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. He said the highest rainfall was recorded in world famous tourist resort, Pahalgam with 27.4 millimeters. Qazigund, the gateway of Kashmir valley, recorded 15.8 millimeters of rain while Kokernag received 19.1 mm.
Gulmarg recorded 24.6 millimeters of rain while frontier Kupwara district of North Kashmir received 13.5 millimeters of downpour.
The official said that almost all the higher reaches of Valley that include Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Banihal, Sonamarg, Kupwara and Mughal Road received snowfall.
The strategic 300-kilometer long Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and Mughal Road were shut for vehicular traffic, a police officer here told Excelsior this evening. He, however, said that the Srinagar-Leh Highway was open for the traffic.
There was a long traffic jam at Mughal as the traffic was diverted through it due to trouble in Anantnag area of Highway due to death of truck conductor who was injured in Udhampur petrol bomb attack.
SP Shopian, Altaf Khan, told Excelsior that 150 trucks were stranded on snow-bound Mughal Road this morning. “These trucks were stranded between Pir Ki Gali and Zaz Mode. We sent police teams and 141 trucks were moved out of the area and they will be send to Jammu through National Highway”, he said.
Khan said that 9 trucks are still stranded there as it is difficult to move them. “We have send more teams to move these trucks out. We will at least rescue the drivers and conductors from snow bound area”, he said.
The MeT official said that there was steep decline in day temperature due to inclement weather. “The maximum temperature was 11.8 Degree Celsius compared to 23.7 yesterday,” he said.
It was raining heavily and the MeT department said that there would be improvement in the weather from tomorrow. The severe rains caused waterlogging at multiple places in city here including in residential colonies.
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