Mudslides block MNJ Road, reopen Manoor Valley link after months

MANSEHRA: Tourists and other passengers were stranded for more than an hour after mudslides blocked the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road in the Khanian area of Kaghan Valley on Saturday night, while authorities also announced the reopening of a key road link to Manoor Valley after seven months.

According to Balakot Assistant Commissioner Hasrat Khan, people travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as within Mansehra district, were held up on both sides of the road until debris was removed and traffic resumed.

He told reporters on Sunday that heavy rain in Kaghan Valley caused the Kunhar River and local streams to swell, triggering mudslides that brought boulders onto the road.

The Kunhar River and local streams swelled following heavy rainfall in Kaghan Valley. Mudslides carrying boulders blocked the MNJ Road, but we immediately dispatched heavy machinery to clear the debris and restore traffic,

Separately, the district administrations of Mansehra, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Torghar issued advisories asking residents to avoid rivers, streams and low-lying flood-prone areas. The warnings followed the latest alert by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority, which warned of possible glacial lake outburst floods, landslides and flash floods as monsoon rains continued.

Manoor Valley road restored

The main road connecting Manoor Valley to the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road has meanwhile been reopened for four-wheel traffic after remaining shut for seven months because of flash floods and landslides.

Local MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani said the eight-kilometre route, the only four-wheel access road for residents of Manoor Valley, had been washed away by flash floods last year. He said access was restored after ramps were rebuilt at stream crossings and debris was cleared from the mountain track.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he said Manoor Valley remained short of adequate tourism facilities despite its natural appeal.

We are taking measures not only to improve road infrastructure for residents but also to attract tourists to the valley,

Mr Lughmani added that blacktopping work on the main road linking the valley with the MNJ Road was in progress at an estimated cost of more than Rs600 million. He said the provincial government had also allocated billions of rupees, on his request, for development projects in Balakot tehsil.

He further said two hydropower projects with a combined generation capacity of around 1,100 megawatts were nearing completion and would contribute to the development and prosperity of Balakot tehsil and the wider district.