Category: Environment

Environment

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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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Changing weather pattern not good for farmers: Study

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The winter is turning out to be driest period in the recent years in Jammu. The region has received below average rain since the withdrawal of monsoon in September last year. Post-monsoon months of October, November and December are considered as dry months but there used to be occasional rain and thunderstorms beneficial for the rabi season. Except a few days of rainfall and snowfall in mid-December in 2017, the region is experiencing warm weather and cold nights. “Although October-December is mainly dry, this year there was below average rainfall…

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Cold wave tightens grip over Kashmir as mercury plummets below zero

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The cold wave conditions across Kashmir intensified as the night temperature dropped several notches below the freezing point Meteorological department director Sonum Lotus said there would not be any significant changes in the weather in the coming week “There can be light snowfall in the upper reaches on January 5, but as such there won’t be any significant changes for the week,” the official said Currently, Kashmir is in the grip of ‘chillai kalan’, the 40-day harshest winter period when the mercury goes below the freezing point and the cold…

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Cold wave, dry weather continues across Kashmir Valley

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Cold wave continued in Kashmir as the night temperature stayed several degrees below the freezing point but people experienced some relief after the mercury increased slightly at most places. Kargil, in Ladakh region, was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir as the minimum temperature there settled at minus 11.4 degrees Celsius last night, an increase of nearly four degrees from minus 15.2 degrees Celsius the previous night, an official of the MET department said. He said the nearby Leh town recorded a low of minus 9.6 degrees Celsius,…

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‘Chillai Kalan’ Harshest winter period is here

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There has been a respite in the cold wave in the Valley as the temperature has witnessed an increase. The temperature increased by as much as six degrees at some places due to rain. “The rise in temperature was due to the cloudy conditions last night,” said Director, Meteorological Department, Sonam Lotus. Meanwhile, residents are bracing up for ‘chillai kalan’, the 40-day harshest winter period, which begins tomorrow. During ‘chillai kalan’, which begins with the winter solstice, the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent. The weather remains cold…

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