 S TAHIR-UL HAQ
Early Times Report
BARAMULLA, June 1: Heavy rains, accompanied with hailstorms caused extensive damage to standing crops and fruits today in various parts of north Kashmir thus raising concerns among the people that are associated with the horticulture industry.
It is learnt that hailstorms, accompanied with rains and high velocity winds wreaked havoc in various parts of north Kashmir, damaging orchards and standing crops on Tuesday afternoon. The hailstorm started today afternoon at 2:30 pm with high velocity winds first at various parts of north Kashmir’s Kupwara and Baramulla district including Baramulla, Narwaw, Khaitanga, Wagoora, Kreeri, Sangrama, Sopore, Handwara, Mawar Qalamabad, Mawar Bala, Audoora, Lawoosa, Chontipora, Drangsoo, Ramhal, Harduna, Lillam, Kuneal, Tarathpora and other villages.
The hailstorm lasts for about 10-15 minutes causing extensive damage to orchards including apple, almond, walnut, cherry besides standing crops vegetables and paddy saplings, that start to bloom bright from this month of June only.
As per preliminary assessment the hailstorm has caused extensive damage to nearly substantial percent of the expected production across over a dozen villages in Handwara and its adjacent areas, said a senior official of the Horticulture department.
“The people associated with horticulture and agriculture have lost their major source of income, as they were expecting a good harvest from their crops, but the hailstorm has damaged their hard earning today”, said Javid Ahmad a local resident of Kreeri Wagoora.
He said that, ‘the standing crop which would have been harvested in June-July has been flattened by the strong winds and hailstorm and the damaged crop cannot be easily retrieved’. However people associated with horticulture have urged the government to carry assessment of the damage caused and accordingly devise some relief plan to compensate them at the earliest.
Ghulam Mohammad from Tarthpora Handwara said that, some of the crops have passed the flowering and fruiting stages, and possibly rain may not damage them much, but those still in the initial stage of cultivation would certainly be impacted by hailstorm.
The untimely hailstorm is because of western disturbances and due to our ill deeds, it happened when the standing crop was about to be ready for harvest, but now we are option less so can’t do anything, locals observed. |
