Heavy snowfall shuts down Kashmir

Heavy snowfall lashed Kashmir on Saturday morning, bringing normal life to a halt.

The snowfall has forced the closure of the strategic Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for the second day today.

State authorities said snow clearance operations have started, but the traffic on the highway would be allowed to ply only when the weather improves.

Road connectivity between different districts of the Valley and Srinagar has also been disrupted by the heavy snowfall.

Authorities pressed into service snow clearance machines early on Sunday morning in Srinagar to clear the roads. Efforts were going on to restore electricity and water supply, which was disrupted across Kashmir due to the snowfall, a senior state government officer said.

Srinagar recorded 6-9 inches of snow till Sunday morning while 18 inches of snow had gathered at north Kashmir's hill resort of Sonamarg, 12 inches in south Kashmir's health resort of Pahalgam and 18-24 inches in Gulmarg.

The minimum temperature recorded in Srinagar was minus 0.2 degrees while it was minus 9.4 in Leh.

The residents of Srinagar had to warm themselves using traditional Kashmiri firepots known as Kangris, as the electricity supply had been disrupted.

"It is so difficult to carry on normal activities of life without electricity and water supply. The authorities would earlier say lack of snowfall was responsible for the erratic power supply and now they are saying too much snow has disrupted the supply. It is a no-win situation for common men like me," said Mehraj-ud-Din, a local resident.

Sumaira, 40, a housewife from Srinagar, said she had no water to prepare tea or cook lunch for her family.

Text: Mukhtar Ahmad | Photograph: Umar Ganie