ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) on Thursday has advised the tourists visiting hilly areas of the country during the current snowy season to take extra precautionary measures to ensure personal and collective safety and avoid any untoward situation in extreme weather conditions.
The PTDC along with other concerned authorities have asked the visitors to dress in layers, wear a warm hat or cap, scarf and gloves or mittens to protect body heat from wind-chill or extreme cold. The tourists were asked to not keep the vehicle engine running continuously and do not switch on heaters for more than 10 minutes in an hour.
The official of PTDC urged the travelers to keep vehicle windows slightly open for fresh air or ventilation and ensure that vehicle’s exhaust pipe is not blocked by snow, ice or debris and check once every hour to keep your exhaust cleared in snowy conditions,” it said.
The travelers must check for the latest weather or travel advisories issued for your area and take appropriate pre-cautionary measures before going out.
The travelers have been advised to avoid traveling in low visibility conditions and during icy road conditions if possible. Before traveling ensure your vehicle is properly serviced, including heater, brakes, radiator and replacing worn out tyres”, it said.
The guideline exhorted to keep essential supplies in your vehicle when traveling for use in emergencies including additional warm clothing, warm blankets, first aid kit, water-proof matches or lighter, windshield ice-scraper, booster cables, basic toolkit, bag of sand or cat litter (to provide traction on ice or snow), wheel chains, spare wheel or repair kit, dry food or fruits and drinking water.
The guidelines noted that in-case vehicle stranded or one was forced to pull over due to weather conditions; one should contact the local help lines and control rooms for assistance.
It underlined that special focus must be given to elderly and children. “They must be kept warm through layers of dressing and may even be huddled in case of exposure to extreme temperatures.”
The guideline issued by the concerned emphasized that the cold-wave-like conditions and extremely low temperatures were being experienced in northern part of the country which could further accentuate in the coming days.
Like every year, a number of local and international tourists have start visiting the hilly areas of the country to enjoy the enhanced picturesque beauty of natural scenes including lush green valleys, beautiful mountains, snow peaks, meadows, lakes and waterfall during snowfall.
Despite biting cold, a great rush of tourists was witnessed at popular tourism destinations including Murree, Malamjaba, Kalam, Naran, Kaghan, Swat, Hunza, Ziarat, Chitral and Kashmir, like every year.