E-Paper
After Covid-19 lockdown losses, HP faces extensive crop damage due to rain, hail
Heavy rainfall, thunder, hail and gusty winds will continue for the next few days in the state with the meteorological department issuing an orange warning for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi Shimla and Solan districts.
Wednesday’s rain and hailstorms caused widespread damage to crops, especially fruit trees in Kotgarh valley in Shimla district, it has been learnt.
Rohan Thakur, an orchardist from Kotgarh, said fruit and vegetable growers, already reeling under the impact of the lockdown in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, had suffered huge losses.
Appealing to the government for relief, Thakur said, “many orchardists could not cover their trees with nets for protection against hail because of unavailability of migrant labourers and the statewide curfew.“
Heavy rainfall, thunder, hail and gusty winds will continue for the next few days in the state with the meteorological department issuing an orange warning (very severe weather) for Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi Shimla and Solan districts and yellow warning (severe weather) for Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, and Sirmaur districts for April 17.
Another yellow warning has been issued for Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts for April 18.
Dr Manmohan Singh, who heads the state’s met department, said due to fresh western disturbance, snowfall at higher reaches and rainfall in lower and middle hills were likely to continue up to April 21 after which the weather will remain dry.
Shimla recorded a minimum temperature of 14.2 degrees Celsius while Kufri, 14 kilometres away, recorded 10.7 degrees C.
Minimum temperatures in Manali, Dharamshala and Dalhousie were recorded at 6.0, 12.6 and 13.6 degrees C, respectively.
Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti district, at 1.1 degrees C minimum temperature, remained the coldest in the state with Una recording a high of 38.6 degrees C.
