Intense dry cold wave grips Kashmir as people pray for snowfall

Srinagar : With the weather office giving little hope of snowfall in sight, Kashmiris on Thursday started looking up to the heavens for a bountiful snowfall.

The Meteorological (MeT) Department outlook for the next 10 days does not give any hope of snowfall in the plains of Kashmir and this has forced locals to look to the heavens for help.

“If it does not snow sufficiently during the remaining part of the ‘Chillai Kalan’ then we are heading straight for a disaster”, said Shabir Ahmad Bhat, who lives in Ganderbal district. With most water bodies partly frozen in the Valley, potable water demand has gone up manifold.

Srinagar had minus 3.8 degrees Celsius as the minimum temperature on Thursday while Gulmarg and Pahalgam had minus 4.2 and minus 5.1 respectively. Leh town in Ladakh region had minus 14.1, Kargil minus 14.3 and Drass minus 12.1 as the night’s lowest temperature.

Jammu city had 4.7, Katra 6.2, Batote 3.1, Bhaderwah 1.1 and Banihal minus 0.4 as the minimum temperature. A 40-day long period of harsh winter cold known locally as the ‘Chillai Kalan’ started on December 21 and will end on January 30.