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| Hailstorm wreaks havoc in North Kashmir | | |
S.Tahir-Ul Haq
BARAMULLA, Apr 20: Unseasonal thunder showers and hailstorms left behind a trail of destruction, levelling standing crops across north Kashmir from past two days, with the region still reeling under its effect on Monday even as district authorities tried to assess the full extent of the cumulative losses.
Sources told Early Times, "Horticulture and Agriculture crops including Orchards and Mustard oil fields took the brunt of sudden precipitation in various areas of North Kashmir like, Baramulla, Sopore, Pattan, Rafiabad, Tangmarg, Sangrama, Sheeri and other peripheral areas were fruit industry suffered heavy losses.
The unseasonal rain accompanied by high speed winds that swept through the entire agricultural belt of Baramulla district on Monday morning damaged standing crops like wheat and rapeseed-mustard, according to reports here. Heavy loss to crops had already been reported from parts which experienced a hailstorm on Sunday.
Bashir Ahmad Mir, a farmer of Sangrama constituency, said the farming community's expectations had been dashed by the hailstorm on Sunday afternoon they had to face nature's fury. The continuous rain and wind had virtually flattened the standing wheat and mustard crops in the agricultural fields.
He said that heavy rain in early spring season did not allow proper spraying of orchards as pesticide and fungicide sprays need dry weather for some days.
The hailstorm had completely ruined his 15-acre wheat crop, Mustard oil fields and Orchards. The hailstorm had bent the stems and caused wheat spikes to break off, he added.
Thousands of farmers from several Tehsils, including Wagoora, Kreeri, Pattan, Tangmarag, Rafiabad, Sheeri and Sopore have suffered maximum damage of crops due to the rain, according to a recent survey of the agriculture department as well as the revenue department.
However reports from many areas also suggest that many culverts and bridges were washed away by heavy rains across the north Kashmir, including Kupwara and Bandipora district.
Water logging has occurred in many low lying areas like Sangrama, Pattan, Sopore and Sheeri, due to torrential rains from past two days many villages and roads were submerged under water.
However a senior official from district administration said the crop damage had been reported from different parts of the district on a mass scale. Farmers would be assisted with reparation through direct compensation to be provided to them by revenue department on the basis of their actual loss.
The survey to assess the damage to crops is already under way after Sunday's rain and hailstorm. Farmers will be given some compensation on the basis of actual losses in their fields, official said.
Meanwhile Early times have learnt, Additional Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Bashir Ahmad Khan today visited many areas of the district Baramulla to take stock of the situation.
Many families were also evacuated from Panzipora, Haritaar, Rakhi-Hygam, Alibagh, Trikolbal, Hanjiveera, and Agrikalan, where boats were also distributed among the locals in order to evacuate them from the inundated areas and facilitate their movement. |
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