By Mohammad Zafar
QUETTA: Heavy snowfall continued on the second day in major parts of the central and northern Balochistan on Sunday, as the mountains surrounding the Quetta Valley wore a blanket of snow to the delight of the people, mostly growers and owners of orchards.
Heavy snowfall was reported in Quetta, Kalat, Surab, Mastung, Ziarat, Duki, Sanjavi, Chamman, Kuchlak, Tuba Achakzai, Kojak Top and adjoining areas.
Two feet of snowfall was recorded in Ziarat with temperature dropping to minus 13 degree Celsius, while the temperature in Quetta remained minus 10 degree Celsius.
There was a major breakdown of electricity in the provincial capital on Sunday night, which disrupted normal life.
A number of newspapers could not be published, as there was no electricity in any part of the city for more than 12 hours.
The QESCO employees refused to perform their duties during the prolonged snowfall and rains.
They were reportedly blunt in their reply to refuse to perform their professional duties involving risk. It is normal on the part of QESCO employees to refuse work for one reason or the other, consumers complained.
The highways linking Quetta to the rest of the country from different directions mainly to Kalat, Sorab, Naushki and Mastung remained blocked because of heavy snowfall.
The highways linking the city to border areas and with Afghanistan remained closed for the second day on Sunday.
Khojak Top and its downhill areas witnessed an unprecedented traffic jam with heavy snow on the highway.
Several vehicles were found stuck along the road after breaking down.
Life remained penalised due to heavy snowfall in parts of Balochistan, while the coastal regions received heavy downpour which blocked the coastal highway and other roads to Turbat.
Shops also remained closed in the provincial capital and the main bazaar was empty on Sunday. People preferred to stay indoors, which gave the streets a deserted look.
Only vegetable vendors and beef shops remained opened. Moreover, the supply of fresh fish from Karachi also remained suspended, as the buses bringing supplies were stuck in the snowfall in central Balochistan. On the other hand, families, youngsters and children preferred going for picnic in Hanna Lake, Hazar Ganji and downhill areas to enjoy the heavy snowfall that the city experienced after seven years.
The residents of Quetta complained of low gas pressure in extremely cold climate, which rendered them helpless as they could not cook food or keep their rooms warm. “It has become a routine matter on the part of Sui Southern Gas Company to resort to low gas supply to the city in bad weather when the citizens need it desperately to keep their houses warm,” said Ali Yousafzai. “We don’t have power supply for the past 20 hours,” Azhar Khan told this scribe. He said if they the QESCO workers could not perform their duties in this weather, they should not work in the company.
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