Category: Environment

Environment

Sunny days with Chilly nights a grave concern ahead

Editor

The unusual weather pattern continued in Kashmir with sunny and warmer days while nights are extremely chilly. Cold wave continued with mercury at degrees below the freezing point. Meteorological department continues to predict light rains and snowfall in next 24 hours. Director MeT department, Sonam Lotus said a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to end the dry spell during the next 24 hours in Kashmir. “Light rain or snow would occur at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir from Monday evening as a fresh WD, originating in Arabian sea has…

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No relief from freezing cold in Kashmir, Prolonged dry spell triggers worries

Editor

There was no relief from cold wave conditions in Kashmir as mercury stayed several degrees below freezing point in most parts of the valley. Kargil town in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir saw the mercury rise by three degrees last night but settled at a bone chilling minus 17.8 degrees Celsius, an official of the Meteorological Department here said. He said Kargil continued to be the coldest recorded place in the state. The nearby Leh town was the second coldest as the mercury there settled at a low of…

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NGT refuses to review order on maintaining silence inside Amarnath Cave

Editor

The National Green Tribunal has refused to review its order directing devotees to maintain silence while standing in front of the Amarnath ‘shivling’ in the cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas. The green panel said there was no patent error in its last year order and the direction was passed in the interest of the environment as well as the Amarnath cave shrine, which is a place of faith for many devotees. A bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice U D Salvi said the tribunal has heard all the parties…

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Glacial lakes make J&K vulnerable to flash floods

Editor

With rapid melting of glaciers creating glacial lakes in various mountain ranges of Jammu and Kashmir, state government has failed to devise a mechanism to avert disasters even as environmentalists have warned of flash floods due to outburst of these lakes. Studies have shown that most of the glaciers in J&K are receding due to climate change at an average rate of 20 metres per annum. Melting glaciers erode land and fill up the space creating glacial lakes. Experts said there are more than 100 glacial lakes spread across different…

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Kashmir reels under biting cold conditions, Kargil at -19 deg C

Editor

Cold wave conditions persisted in the Kashmir division, including the Ladakh region, as the minimum temperature remained several degrees below the freezing point. Kargil continued to be the coldest recorded place in the state as the mercury there settled at minus 20.2 degrees Celsius last night, an official of the Meteorological Department here said. The nearby Leh town also shivered with the mercury there settling at minus 14.6 degrees Celsius – over a degree down from minus 13.5 degrees Celsius last night. He said Srinagar – the summer capital of…

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PDP MLA joins opposition in cornering govt on Jehlum dredging

Editor

The Legislative Assembly Wednesday witnessed bonhomie between ruling party and opposition legislators on demand for constitution of a house committee to monitor dredging in river Jhelum. As the Minister for Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC), Sham Lal Choudhary stood up to answer a query on the Jhelum dredging in Legislative Assembly today, he was cornered by ruling PDP MLA from Sonwar, Mohammad Ashraf Mir who said the government has failed to satisfactorily dredge the river Jehlum in Srinagar district. “In your reply, you have stated that you are doing dredging…

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Nallah Maar: Story of heritage lost to urbanisation, apathy

Editor

A wooden boat glides through placid waters against a setting sun as fishermen row close to waterfront houses with gardens that burst with colours. It’s an idyllic picture of a Srinagar that once was, a visual recall of a waterway punctuated by arched bridges that was not just a navigational lifeline for the city but also a protection from heavy rains and floods. The Nallah Maar (Maar is the Kashmiri word for snake), called so because it snaked through the city, is no more. In its stead is a wide…

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Srinagar, Jammu record season’s lowest temperatures; Leh at -16.8 degrees Celsius

Editor

Pahalgam recorded minus 8.9 and Gulmarg minus 9.4 degrees Celsius as their minimum temperatures while Leh recorded a minus 16.8 and Kargil minus 18.8 degrees Celsius. The cities of Srinagar and Jammu on Sunday recorded the season’s lowest minimum temperature at minus 6 and 4 degrees as an intense cold wave has tightened its grip on the state, the weather office said. “The cold wave has further intensified due to the clear night sky. Present weather conditions are likely to continue for another 48 hours,” a MET department official said.…

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Jammu records lowest temperature, Kargil freezes at -20

Editor

Jammu on Thursday recorded the coldest night of the season at 2.7 degrees Celsius as the cold wave intensified further in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu on Thursday recorded the coldest night of the season at 2.7 degrees Celsius as the cold wave intensified further in Jammu and Kashmir. “There is no immediate relief in sight for at least another two to three days,” a Met official said. Foggy mornings have been adding to the chill in Jammu city over the last four days. Heavy fog led to poor visibility disrupting…

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Mercury drops to – 4.4°C in Srinagar City

Editor

The night temperature in the Kashmir valley has fallen several degrees below the freezing point while the days are unusually warm, rising to a high of a few degrees above the average. The minimum temperature recorded overnight at most places in the Valley was four to six degrees below the freezing point, an official at Srinagar Meteorological Center said. In Srinagar, the overnight temperature had dropped to a low of -4.4°C, which was two degrees colder than the normal. Gulmarg, a skiing resort in north Kashmir and a major attraction…

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