Srinagar, Jan 21 (IANS) Barely 9 days left for the 40-day-long ‘Chillai Kalan’ to end, people in Kashmir are waiting with bated breath for the weatherman’s forecast of moderate to heavy snowfall beginning Thursday afternoon.
Srinagar city and other plain areas of the Valley are yet to receive this season’s first snowfall. The 40-day-long period of harsh winter cold, known as the ‘Chillai Kalan’, which brings heavy snowfall to sustain various water bodies during the hot summer months, will end on January 30.
No major snowfall has occurred in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir so far, and this has added to the worries of agriculturists, horticulturists, and the general public.
The weather has mostly been dry since the beginning of Chillai Kalan on December 21.
Except for some snowfall in the higher reaches, the reports from mountainous areas of J&K are also worrisome. Rivers, streams, springs, etc., are running at their lowest, and some of the floating palaces called the houseboats on the river Jhelum have already been ‘grounded’ because of very low discharge in the river.
Thousands of springs sustaining hamlets in the Valley are flowing at a bare minimum, and unless the MET department forecast of moderate to heavy rain/snow beginning tomorrow afternoon proves correct, the coming days and months are going to be troublesome for people living in J&K.
The MET department has issued an advisory predicting widespread rain/snow from January 22 afternoon, which is expected to peak on January 23.
Disruption of air and surface transport has also been forecast during this period, and tourists and transporters have been advised to plan their journey accordingly.
Srinagar city had a minimum of minus 2.4 on Wednesday, while Gulmarg and Pahalgam had minus 5 and minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Jammu city had 7.2, Katra town 7.6, Batote 2.5, Banihal minus 2.3, and Bhaderwah minus 1.8 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature.
–IANS
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