SWAT / ISLAMABAD (AwesomePakistan.Net): The top agency for disaster management issued a weather advisory and alerts on Tuesday after weather officials forecast high intensity rain and snowfall in major parts of the country within the next 24 hours.

“It is expected that from Tuesday onwards there will be an increase in the intensity of rainfall and snowfall in major parts of the country which will continue till Thursday,” said the PMD Director General Dr Ghulam Rasul, while talking to The Express Tribune. “There are chances of floods in low-lying areas due to heavy rainfall and landslides due to snowfall over hilly areas. In the coming two days temperature is expected to drop further in northern areas,” he said.

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GILGIT (AwesomePakistan.Net): How far would you go to raise awareness about a cause which directly affected your way of life?

Get out of your house and stage a protest? Or perhaps march a bit to make the community aware of the problem and to attract the attention of the administration.

But what would you do when you want to attract the attention of an entire country or even a significant part of the world.

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GILGIT (AwesomePakistan.Net): The year 2016 brought a mixed bag for Gilgit-Baltistan. Development work resumed and the first shipments under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor rolled through with a host of foreign and domestic tourists, but there were times when it seemed that the powderkeg of sectarianism was about to blow up.

After the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was voted into government during the June 2015 elections, the party promised to pave over 80 kilometres of roads within the first 100 days of its government. While it may have missed that target last year, it did manage to accelerate development efforts during 2016.

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ISLAMABAD (AwesomePakistan.Net): In the wake of the recent snowfall in the country-tourists flocked to the hilly areas of Murree, Ayubia and Galiyat to enjoy the scenic beauty and the weather.

An official of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) started work on analysing the ratio of tourists going to famous resorts during the winter season. The PTDC official expressed hope that more tourists would visit various resorts in the coming days.

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SWAT (AwesomePakistan.Net): An ancient double-domed structure still stands tall near Mingora after having survived the cruel ravages of time, vandalism and official neglect. The 1,800-year-old Vihara or early Buddhist monastery, was discovered by British archaeologist Sir Aurel Stein. It had been constructed in the second century as a place of worship by Buddhists, when Buddhism was the dominant religion of Swat.

The main building has two domes, one right above the other which led to it being called the double-dome-structure.

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SWAT (AwesomePakistan.Net): The majestic beauty of Swat has a lingering charm. Tourists from across the country find its fragrant air, lush green fields and cold streams irresistible. Usually the district valley, however, takes a break in winter to rejuvenate itself for the upcoming season. The offseason is marked by snowfall and sub-zero temperatures, which starts from December and stays till the end of March.

However, despite heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures, hundreds of tourists from other parts of the country have flocked to the scenic valley, particularly its Kalam area which is now entirely covered in a thick blanket of snow.

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Press Release

Pakistan Youth Outreach (PYO), in collaboration with Karakorum Expeditions, proudly initiated national women winter expedition to an unnamed, unclimbed peak, for the first time in Pakistan’s mountaineering history. The National Women Winter Expedition was lead by the renowned and only female Mountaineer of Pakistan to summit Mt. Everest, Ms. Samina Baig.

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A solar pumping system to irrigate the newly developed orchards along the Hunza River using drip irrigation in Upper Gojal, Gilgit-Baltistan. It is the first attempt to pilot solar water pumping and micro-irrigation in the arid region under project ‘Agricultural Water, Energy and Hazard Management in the Upper Indus Basin for Improved Livelihood’. The solar water pumping and micro-irrigation systems used in this project are low cost and reliable and will enhance the local livelihoods through high-value orchard production. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and local communities piloted the solar pump lift irrigation system.

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GILGIT (AwesomePakistan.Net): Fresh water lakes in Gilgit-Baltistan have been frozen turning them into playgrounds for children as temperature in the region has dropped to as low as minus 14 degree Celsius.

Khalti Lake, located in Gupis valley of Ghizer district, usually remains frozen from November to March, giving children ample space to play games.

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Karachi (AwesomePakistan.Net): Chain Reaction in collaboration with Health Act will be hosting a bicycle ride on January 22. The participants will begin their ride,which is expected to be approximately 20 kilometres long, from Ami’s Mart in Khadda Market at 7:15am.

The ride is free of charge and all are welcome to join. After the journey ends, the participants will get a chance to meet with qualified trainers, nutritionists and fitness gurus who will share facts about exercise plans, fitness routines and take individual questions at the Health Act. This discussion will then be followed by a

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