With the mercury hovering around 45°C over the last fortnight, light rain accompanied by gusty winds brought much-needed respite from the sweltering heat in the semi-arid south Malwa region on Friday morning.
Showers accompanied by thunderstorms were reported in isolated parts of Bathinda, Muktsar, Faridkot and other adjoining areas. While the farmers were delighted to receive the first shower of the season, the strong gales uprooted trees, which disrupted the power supply in some villages.
Bathinda chief agriculture officer (CAO) Pakhar Singh said, “The rainfall has staved off the threat of a whitefly infestation. The sudden change in climatic conditions is good for all crops, including spring maize.”
He added that the area was likely to witness rainfall and thunderstorms till June 19.
A farmer, Gurchet Singh of Muktsar, said, “As paddy transplantation in Malwa belt is set to commence from Friday, the pre-monsoon showers have given us confidence. Farmers sowing cotton, kinnow and vegetables in the semi-arid belt had been facing challenges due to the prolonged heatwave. Irrigation has also been hit due to insufficient water in canals and erratic power supply to tubewells. We hope for a good season ahead as monsoon is likely to hit the region next month,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}A farmer, Gurchet Singh of Muktsar, said, “As paddy transplantation in Malwa belt is set to commence from Friday, the pre-monsoon showers have given us confidence. Farmers sowing cotton, kinnow and vegetables in the semi-arid belt had been facing challenges due to the prolonged heatwave. Irrigation has also been hit due to insufficient water in canals and erratic power supply to tubewells. We hope for a good season ahead as monsoon is likely to hit the region next month,” he said.
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