Many roads blocked due to rains

CHITRAL, Sept 18: Intermittent rains continued for the third day running in almost all parts of Chitral. The Chitral-Booni road was blocked on Monday night due to falling of boulders on the road, especially at Kari, where the road is closed at three points.  Reports said two bulldozers have been sent to the area to remove the blockades and restore traffic on the highway. Reports from upper Chitral said people in the far-off valleys remained confined to their houses. Though the main roads were not closed the residents were finding it very difficult to stay outdoor as the rains brought chill. Farmers said the rains had destroyed their maize crop which is still not harvested. Besides, most of the farmers have not plugged apples and are waiting for the buyers and the rains have badly affected the fruits. This will cause large-scale loss to the farmers. In many parts of the valley, there was also shortage of firewood. Some residents told chitraltoday.net that due to flooding in streams, their power houses had stopped functioning and there was no electricity in many villages.—Waqar Ahmed]]>