Early Snowfall Brings Misery to Kashmir's Apple Growers
The snow has came down in the midst of harvesting season causing extensive damage to standing and harvested apple crop and snapping connectivity in the Valley.
In south kashmirs Shopian district apple trees damaged due to heavy snow fall
SRINAGAR: An emotional video which shows a distraught man crying copiously upon seeing his apple crop buried in the snow probably suffices the extent of damage the snowfall has done to the crop: “My entire crop has been damaged by the snow. What will I do now? Oh God! Why did not you pity me,” the growers is heard saying in the videos.
When Kashmir received the season’s first snowfall on Saturday afternoon, the people were ecstatic and started sending snow greetings. However, their happiness did not last long as an early snowfall caught the authorities on the wrong foot leading to snapping off all the essential services due to lack of connectivity.
Intermittent snowfall for the last 48 hours has brought the valley to a standstill, suspending all the road and surface traffic. The traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar-National Highway came to standstill, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded in the freezing cold. At least 500 people were rescued from Jawahar Tunnel, considered as the gateway to Kashmir, and Mughal Road, an alternative highway that connects Kashmir to Jammu and rest of the Country. “We have cleared the national highway from Qazigund to Banihal except those who have locked their vehicles,” Deepak Chaubay, who is responsible for clearing traffic at the tunnel, told NewsClick.
In the valley submerged roads, shortage of water, power outage and a threat of avalanche kept people indoors.
The worst part of the snowfall was that it came in the midst of harvesting season causing extensive damage to the standing and harvested apple crop.
At one of the Valley's biggest fruit markets in South Kashmir’s Shopian area, the apple growers look forlorn. The makeshift auction sheds have collapsed due to heavy snowfall, crashing the underneath apple boxes, “nearly one lakh apple boxes that were stored here for sale has been partially or completely damaged resulting in huge loses. Since the boxes are made of cardboard they could not resist the load, “Mohammad Ashraf, President Fruit and Vegetable market Shopian, told NewsClick.
Not only were the stored apple boxes damaged the orchids too suffered damages, “Apart from snapping several fruit trees the rains and snow have affected the harvest crops that were stored in the open spaces. The loss can be rectified if the weather improves in coming days but if the situation persists the overall production will get dented”, Tufail Ahmad Bado, an orchard owner told NewsClick, adding the weather onslaught would ultimately affect the final produce.
As per the meteorological department of Kashmir, it was after a gap of nearly nine that Kashmir received snowfall in November and that was the reason behind the unpreparedness of the people. Normally winter in Kashmir starts with the onset of Chilai Kalan, a 40-day harsh winter period. However, for last two-three years, the valley did not receive snowfall till late January delaying the preparations for the winter.
Experts hold climate change responsible for erratic weather in Kashmir: “There have been warm winters from past and this autumn snowfall is something unusual. However, Kashmir has the history of receiving snow in November as well. The major reason for this is the climate change which has gradually taken place in past decades,” Shakil Ramshoo, Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir, told NewsClick.
Some people have witnessed such snowfall for the first time: “This kind of climate is strange as past few years have seen dry winters. This snowfall shouldn't have come this time. It has completely damaged the trees and unharvested crops,” Abdul Sattar from South Kashmir said.
Power Outage Hits Exams
Students equally suffered due to snowfall as power outage forced them to prepare for exams under oil lamps, “it’s really hard to study under oil lamps as the uneven light hurt eyes. Besides, in absence of electricity, we are unable to access the internet and that is taking a huge toll on our studies,” Hadi Rasool, a 12th class student said
A man was killed after lightning struck him in frontier Galwan villages of the area in north ' Baramulla District. Another man from Jammu province was also due to lightning.
Many people complain about sleeplessness as multiple fears kept them awake: thunderbolts, lightning, and falling of trees on the houses. “We have a Chinar tree in the neighborhood which is full of leaves and snow accumulated by these leaves make the tree vulnerable to fell down,” Nisar Ahmad a local from a village in South Kashmir said.
Amid warnings of “high danger avalanche” the weather is expected to plummet further in some regions in the next 24 hours," “As per our forecast for the next 24 hours, there are some chances of rain and snow in some areas across the valley,” an official from Met department Kashmir told NewsClick.
Pictures :-Kamran Yousuf/News Click
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