Heavy snowfall cripples life in Lahaul and Spiti district

Fresh snowfall today badly hampered traffic movement in Lahaul and Spiti district, leading to disruption of normal life across the region. The heavy snowfall has left the residents of Lahaul valley stranded, cutting off road connectivity with the rest of the state and leaving several roads blocked.

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According to officials, Keylong, the district headquarters, recorded approximately 30 cm of fresh snow. The areas such as Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway and Sissu in the Lahaul valley were buried under nearly three feet of snow. These conditions led to the complete closure of the highway, affecting traffic between Keylong and Manali.

The situation became worse as several key roads in both Lahaul and Spiti valleys were rendered impassable. Police reported that the Kaza-Losar road in the Spiti valley, along with the Keylong-Manali road, Sansari-Killar-Thirot-Tandi road, and Keylong-Darcha road in the Lahaul valley were all blocked due to the heavy snowfall. The closure of these key roads has isolated the residents in the area as it has left them unable to travel.

Rahul Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti, has urged residents and travellers to avoid unnecessary journey in the district until conditions improve. He also assured the public that once the weather conditions improve, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the Public Works Department (PWD) will begin snow clearance operations to restore road connectivity in the district.