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Two girls among 3 dead in rain-related incidents in Jammu
Intermittent mild rains lashed parts of Jammu and Kashmir for the second consecutive day, bringing relief from the heatwave which was prevalent in some parts of the UT
Two girls were among three persons reported dead in rain-related incidents in Jammu region while the traffic on Jammu-Srinagar national highway was restored following brief disruption on Wednesday.
Intermittent mild rains lashed parts of Jammu and Kashmir for the second consecutive day, bringing relief from the heatwave which was prevalent in some parts of the UT.
A 13-year-old girl succumbed to injuries sustained during a lightning strike in Manwal area of Udhampur. In another incident, an 18-year-old girl, who had gone to collect firewood in Doda, died after a tree fell on her due to high-velocity winds.
Damin Sheikh, 12, was washed away in Pulsat river in Dungas area of Poonch on Tuesday evening. SDRF and police teams were deployed to trace him. However, the boy remained missing when reports last poured in.
A CRPF man, Mohammad Rouf of Sari Latti area in Udhampur, died after being hit by a boulder in Samroli area on Jammu-Srinagar highway on Wednesday. He was posted in Rajasthan and had come home to celebrate Eid.
Traffic movement on Jammu-Srinagar national highway was also disrupted following the damage to a steel tunnel in Ramban, but it was restored after some time, said SSP, national highway Shabir Malik. According to officials, a few houses in Jammu and power lines in Doda, Kishtwar, Reasi, and Rajouri suffered damages after trees fell on them. However, all power lines have been restored.
Banihal in Ramban and Bhaderwah in Doda saw a drop of 11 degrees in temperature, Batote saw of drop of seven degrees, while mercury dipped six notches in Kathua. Katra witnessed a fall of four degrees.
“Widespread rains and thunderstorm in Jammu and Kashmir brought the mercury down. Overall, the weather will remain erratic till Thursday due to a western disturbance,” said MeT officials.
On Tuesday, moderate rains were experienced across Jammu and Kashmir with major rainfall of 26.6mm in Jammu’s Bhaderwah and 25.4mm in Kashmir’s Pahalgam for the 24 hours preceding 8.30am on Wednesday.
Srinagar witnessed 16.8 degrees Celsius temperature, while 15.6 degrees was recorded in Pahalgam and 19.8 degrees in Gulmarg.
Hailstorm batters crops in HP
The spell of hailstorm on Tuesday in Himachal Pradesh’s rural areas has battered various vegetables and fruit crops, hampering the income prospects of scores of farmers. Hailstorm and squall had hit Shimla, Kullu and Sirmaur districts for about an hour while low-lying hills experienced heavy rainfall.
In Shimla, apple, wheat and pea crops have been damaged due to the torrential rains and hailstorm. Maximum damage has been reported in area at or above 5,500ft, including parts of Theog, Chaupal, Rampur, Rohru and Kotkhai areas.
Horticulture minister Mahender Singh Thakur said the state government has sought a report from the respective districts to assess the losses.
The hailstorm was so devastating that a large number of apple trees were destroyed while the fruits got stained.
Meanwhile, vegetable crops have been damaged in rural areas of Shoghi, Sankatmochan, Taradevi, low-lying areas of Dhanda, Junga and on the outskirts of Shimla.
It was the bloom season of capsicum, tomato and bean crops. In Kullu also, fruit and vegetable crops were damaged in areas including Shirdh, Raisan, Trishadi and Banogi.
President of Kullu Fruit Growers Association said apple and other stone fruits in many areas of Ujhi valley have been destroyed. He said crops of only those farmers who used anti-hail nets have survived. “We want the government to assess the losses and compensate the farmers,” he added.
Kullu deputy director of horticulture BM Chauhan said the farmers should take advice of the experts and spray the crops with insecticide and pesticides to minimise their losses.
More rains on cards
Meanwhile, the state continued to experience rain on second consecutive day on Wednesday with Dharamshala being the wettest place with 15mm rainfall followed by Una (14mm) and Dalhousie (13mm).
The spell of rains has also brought down minimum temperatures by up to 3 degrees Celsius and maximum temperatures by 2-6 degrees.
Una was the warmest with day temperature recorded at 31.8 degrees C, followed by Mandi (30.2 degrees C) and Bilaspur and Dharmashala (30 degrees C each).
Shimla recorded maximum temperature of 20.9 degrees. Keylong was the coldest place with night temperature of 2.5 degrees C.
