Incessant rainfall in Kashmir Valley’s plains and snowfall in upper reaches have triggered a cold wave that had eluded the region during the harshest spell of winter season. The cold weather descended at a time when almond groves and mustard fields are on full bloom causing a worrisome situation for the orchardists and farmers.
The freaky weather forced the authorities to suspend Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus that ferries cross-line of Control passengers on Mondays.
The weather took a turn four days ago and precipitation continued despite weatherman’s predictions that the precipitation will stop for the next three days from Monday. On the contrary, the rain and snowfall intensified on Monday and plummeted the temperatures by several notches.
“The weather has taken an undesirable turn at a time when almond bloom is at its best. If it continues, the bloom will wither away causing huge damage to almond crop”, said horticulture expert Dr Shamim Ahmad.
Kashmir produces around 10,000 Metric Tonnes of almond crop annually but the production is likely to suffer immensely due to implement weather. “The rains at the time of bloom are detrimental to the crop. We fear sharp decline in the crop this year”, Ali Muhammad Shah, an orchardists in south Kashmir told The Pioneer.
The situation is equally worrisome for the valley’s agriculture. The mustard fields blooming with yellow flowers are likely to face the brunt of cold wave.
“This year the winter was unusually warm and passed off without any heavy snowfall or cold wave. This resulted into early bloom in mustard fields”, said Farooq Ahmad, an agriculture officer. “The continuation of cold wave for more than a week can have adverse effect on the mustard crop”, he said.
The cold weather has forced the residents to wear woollens and resorted to use of kangri, the earthen pot filled with ambers that is held by Kashmiris under traditional woollen cloaks. The power breakdown has added woes to the common people.
The capital Srinagar, still trying to come to terms after the 2014 floods, the rainfall brought chaos on roads and by-lanes inundated by rainwater. Most of the roads were not negotiable in the evening as the official machinery failed to bring respite.
The 300-kilometer Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was restricted to one-way traffic. The authorities suspended Srinagar-Muzaffarabad Bus due to inclement weather and landslides on the other side of the loC, officials said.
Meanwhile, army said that soldiers rescued a policemen stranded on a road in Tangdhar sector of north Kashmir Kupwara district. “The avalanche rescue team at Nasta Chhun Pass immediately sprung to action despite heavy snowfall, snow blizzard, and zero visibility and recued the policemen Arshid Mir by carrying him on their back turn by turn”, a spokesman of the army said.