Balakot, Attractive place for Tourists

Balakot is a town in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province’s Mansehra district. Although the town sustained substantial damage in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, it was eventually restored with Pakistani government support.

In northern Pakistan, Balakot is situated on the Kunhar River’s right bank. Its length from its source at Lake Dharam Sar, located deep in the Kaghan Valley, to its confluence with the Jehlum River is over two-thirds of its whole length. While the Kaghan Valley above Balakot City is extremely chilly during the winter, the lower region below Balakot—also known as Nainsukh Valley is moderate. The Kaghan Valley is a nice summertime getaway. The monsoon does not reach its top portion from Naran upstream, but it does reach its bottom portion, which is wooded.

One of the major cities in the Mansehra District is Balakot. It is the principal city in the biggest Tehsil in the Mansehra District, Balakot Tehsil. It is also responsible for managing the several smaller towns and villages in the area and has a Union Council.

Climate

Balakot has hot summers and chilly winters due to its humid subtropical climate. Balakot receives far more rainfall than the majority of other Pakistani regions. Although all months have substantial rainfall on average, the largest rainfall happens in late winter (February–March) in relation to frontal systems, or during the monsoon season (June–August).

Height of Balakot

The height of Balakot valley is 3200 feet at the starting point, Balakot, and increases progressively over 130 kilometers to 13700 feet at Babusar Pass. The towns of Naran, Kaghan, Paras, Batakundi, Jhalkhad, and Mahandri are significant ones in the Valley.

Brief history

One of the four known ancient coastal sites in Pakistan from the Harappan (or Indus) era, which flourished in the decades shortly before and after 2000 B.C., is Balakot. It dates to the earliest known civilization in South Asia. Since its discovery in the 1920s, this little-known civilization has captured the interest of academics and students.

River in Balakot

During winter, the Tehsil Balakot, District Mansehra, overlooks the River Kunhar. The Naran Valley’s principal river is the Kunhar. Its source is the Lulusar Lake in the Kaghan Valley, which is located at a height of 3455 meters close to the Babusar Pass.

New Balakot City

The government of Balakot advised relocating the citizens to Bakarial, which is 15 miles away, when it was determined that the city was constructed on geological fault lines following the earthquake. It was agreed to retain the original town of Balakot as “national heritage” and designate the new location “New Balakot City”.

Many Balakot locals have been rebuilding their houses and businesses despite a government prohibition, according to reports from 2011.

Ten years after the earthquake, many people of New Balakot City were still living in makeshift shelters designed to withstand earthquakes. The city was still under construction. The Pakistani government blamed the delay on a disagreement between the national and provincial governments as well as the landowners, citing the difficulty of obtaining the land at Bakrayal as the cause of the unhappiness among the inhabitants. Observers have also pointed out that help to people in need was misdirected by political favoritism. Some in the ancient city have begun to restore their homes. New Balakot City’s building started up again by 2006.

River Kunhar

The river, also known as River Kunhar, is 177 kilometers (110 mi) long and is mostly found in the northern Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It’s in the basin of the Indus River watershed.

The primary river in the Naran Valley is called Kunhar. Its source is the Lulusar Lake in the Kaghan Valley, which is located at a height of 3455 meters close to the Babusar Pass. The Kunhar River’s primary water sources are natural tributaries and snowmelt. At Pattan, it meets the Jhelum River.