As rain and snowfall continue to batter the Kashmir Valley for the last 72 hours, the region has witnessed disruptions in road traffic, rail services, and air traffic. The inclement weather has thrown normal life out of gear, causing serious issues for citizens in the area.

The Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) has been blocked due to heavy snow accumulation between Ramsoo and Qazigund, compounded by shooting stones, landslides, and mudslides between Nashri and the NAVYUG Tunnel.

In addition, the Batote-Doda road is closed following a landslide at Ragi Nalla. Other routes, including Mughal Road, Srinagar-Leh Road, Bandipora-Gurez Road, and Sinthan Road, are also closed to vehicular traffic.

Air travel has been severely impacted at Srinagar International Airport, with all morning flights delayed due to the adverse weather conditions. Train services have seen partial disruptions, with the Budgam-Banihal section operating on schedule, while delays plague the Baramulla section as heavy snow accumulates.

In view of the poor weather conditions and predictions of further snowfall, authorities have extended winter vacations for schools across the Kashmir Valley and winter zones of Jammu until March 6. This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Minister for School Education Sakina Itoo.

After a prolonged dry spell that lasted two months, the recent snowfall has significantly alleviated the 83% deficit in rainfall, bringing it down to approximately 50%. This much-needed precipitation has rejuvenated rivers and streams that had nearly dried up, bringing relief and joy to residents who were eagerly waiting for rain and snow.

Reacting to the weather conditions in the Kashmir Valley, Latif Ahmad, a local, said, “We are happy that the weather changed; it was much needed here. We had a deficit of water, and it helped our rivers to get water, and also tourists were not happy as there was no snow in Kashmir. Now more tourists will come, and people here will earn.”.

The fresh snowfall has also brought cheers to the tourists present in the Kashmir Valley. In Srinagar, tourists were seen dancing and playing in the snow, while in other popular destinations like Gulmarg, Sonmarg, and Pahalgam, visitors enjoyed the unexpected snowfall that arrived during the last days of February.

Ratan Sharma said, “We saw lots of snow in Sonamarg as we reached there; it snowed heavily. We are a group of 55 people from Maharashtra, and we had come to see snow; now we are happy that it snowed here.”

Heavy snowfall in the upper reaches triggered multiple avalanches in the Tulel area of Gurez, the Appaewat area of Gulmarg, and the Minimarg area along the Srinagar-Leh highway near Zojila. In Gurez, several homes in Khandiyal village were damaged.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the weather will improve from tonight but also issued an alert for avalanches and landslides in the upper regions of the valley. IMD said that there is another western disturbance that will hit Kashmir on 3rd April and will bring more snow and rain to the area.

Stay informed on all the , real-time updates, and follow all the important headlines in and on Zee News.

Source