Residents in Kashmir on Tuesday woke up to light drizzle in plains and snowfall in the hilly areas that ended a prolonged dry spell never witnessed in past four decades. The last downpour was recorded in August in the Valley and despite the onset of harshest spell of winter in the third week of December the weather seemed in no mood to terminate the dry spell. The dense cloud cover raised the temperature by a few degrees offering much-needed respite to the residents.
In the capital Srinagar, gentle rainfall continued throughout the day bringing freshness to the air and cleansing dirt-covered rooftops, roads and alleys. On the mountains, however, snowflakes began descending early in the morning and white drape enveloped hill stations of Pahalgam and Kokernag in south and Gulmarg in north Kashmir. Hundreds of tourists, who had arrived at Gulmarg on the New Year eve, began frolicking on snow and dancing in ecstasy.
This year, the snowfall kept people waiting for a longer span. The harshest spell of winter, known as Chillai Kalan that began on December 21 for 40 days till January 31, was running dry just like last year when there was no snowfall during this entire period. This year’s dry spell was unique because the valley did not receive rainfall since mid-August. The experts say that “changes in weather system” have resulted into the unusual turn in the climatic conditions.
The rainfall has improved the weather condition as the minimum temperature was recorded minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, much better than the last night’s minus 4 degrees Celsius that had frozen the surfaces of Dal lake at the edges and blocked water pipes in several localities.
The bone-chilling cold is also dominating the ladakh region where leh district remained the coldest place with a low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius night temperature. The neighbouring Kargil district has also recorded minus 9.3 degrees Celsius temperature. The authorities closed Srinagar-leh national highway for vehicular traffic which was unusually open due to the continued dry spell.
The snowfall has come as a big relief for local population especially the farming community in villages.
The delay in snowfall was causing worry to farmers who were foreseeing a drought-like situation in the absence of heavy snowfall. locals say that snowfall in Chilla Kalan fills up the glaciers and subzero temperature hardens and crystallizes the show ensuring steady flow of water. The River Jhelum was flowing at record lowest level.
The dry spell also affected the power generation in all hydroelectric projects in the state compelling the power managers to drastically curtail the energy supply. In the remote villages, the residents complain that they get less than two hours power supply in peace meals.
Tour operators in Kashmir say that the snowfall would increase tourist footfall in the region that was adversely hit by the five month long unrest triggered in Kashmir by the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani on July 8. last month, the tourism department invited topmost tour operators and travel agents to Srinagar in order to showcase that the region was ready to entertain winter tourists.