| Pilgrims number drops from 10,000 to 300 a day | | Inclement weather hits Amarnath Yatra | |  Abdul Majid
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Aug 4: Frequent cloudbursts and intermittent rains have hit the annual Amarnath Yatra, as the number of pilgrims visiting the cave shrine in south Kashmir's Pahalgam has dropped from 10,000 to 300 a day.
For the first time in many years, just 303 pilgrims left for the cave shrine today. The batch included 65 women, officials said.
This is in stark contrast to the huge number of pilgrims undertaking the journey last month when around three lakh people visited the shrine, meaning that on an average around 10,000 people paid obeisance there every day.
But the bad weather, particularly cloudbursts, have played a spoilsport. Officials said that since the start of the yatra on July 2, the pilgrimage has been suspended at least 10 times due to rough weather.
While most of the times the yatra was suspended as a preventive measure in the wake of weather forecast warning, the July 25 incident badly hit the yatra. On the fateful day a massive cloudburst triggered flashfloods at the Amarnath base camp in Baltal, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. Scores of tents and vehicles were washed away by the gushing waters while road connectivity remained affected for some two days.
Indian army, J&K police, civil administration and locals of the area had rushed in to launch massive rescue and relief operation. Though the pilgrims widely hailed the efforts of local volunteers, the incident created fear psychosis among the prospective pilgrims.
"The vehicle, which was carrying us got buried under heaps of muck. We had to leave it behind and hire a taxi," a pilgrim while leaving for New Delhi had told Early Times.
Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing an unusual weather for nearly a month now as cloudbursts are occurring with frightening frequency.
The freak phenomenon, after last year's unprecedented floods, has put the common man on the edge.
Last month, six people were killed as multiple cloudbursts hit the north Kashmir mountain villages of Kulan, Rizan, Gagangir, Sonamarg and the Baltal base camp of the Amarnath yatra.
Sudden gathering of dark clouds followed by high thunderstorm/cloudbursts has often followed warm, sunny mornings. Sonam Lotus, director of the local Met Office, said, "This year, the frequency of cloudbursts and thunderstorms has been unusually high in Jammu and Kashmir."
Lotus believes that vagaries of nature can be mitigated and their impact can be rendered less severe by putting knowledge and technology into practice. Meanwhile, officials said latest radar was being used to keep track of weather along the yatra routes so that pilgrims don't face any inconvenience. |
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