Kashmir farmers worried as rain may continue The freakish weather with spells of rain is expected to continue in Jammu and Kashmir till Friday, the Met office said here Wednesday. This has the states farmers worried as the crops are in the ripening stage and continuous rain can damage them. Sonam Lotus, director of the local weather office, said here: A low pressure system exists over Jammu and Kashmir at the moment. The combined effect of western disturbances and monsoon is causing the present rainfall in the Valley, the Jammu division and the Ladakh region. The low pressure system is moving very slowly because of which the same weather conditions are likely to continue till Friday evening. Although there is no impending possibility of floods in the Valley and other places, landslides and flash floods in mountainous areas of the state especially the Ladakh region cannot be ruled out, Lotus added. People in such areas are generally advised to take precautions. As of now, there is no flood warning from our side. Moderate rain continued in all the three regions of Jammu and Kashmir and is expected to continue till the weather improves, which according to the Met office is not likely till Friday evening. Intermittent rain will occur across the state till Friday evening, Lotus said. The water level in the Chenab, Jhelum and other major rivers and streams of the state has risen overnight, although it still continues to be below the danger mark. The most worried by the continuing rain in the Valley are the farmers and fruit growers who see the present rains as a bad omen for their crops. The paddy crop is presently laden with ripe and half ripe grains and even moderate rainfall like the present one can have an adverse impact. Besides delaying ripening, water-logging in paddy fields creates numerous other problems for the farmers. When we needed rains during the summer months it did not rain and when we cannot afford rains because the crop is in the ripening stage we have heavy rains. God should come to our rescue otherwise the crop would suffer heavy damage, said Zahoor Ahmad, 37, a north Kashmir farmer.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 07:39:38 +0000
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