Even as Kashmir is going through a prolonged dry spell with life limping back to the usual after the summer unrest, there will be no major New Year celebrations in the Valley. New Year revellers along with tourists usually celebrate the occasion at Gulmarg but the North Kashmir ski resort is awaiting snowfall. A few high-end hotels will be holding low-profile private parties and events on New Year’s Eve but most of the other hotels have decided to give the celebrations a miss. “There will be no New Year gala…
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Environment
Less snowfall in Kashmir valley leaves experts, tourists worried
Over the past three years, the month of December has twice been dry in the picturesque Kashmir valley, a phenomenon that has worried environmentalists and disappointed tourists. This year, it is for the sixth time since 1993 when Kashmir saw a dry, or almost dry, month of December. Apart from a brief spell of snow or light rains on December 11 and 12 this year, local residents and tourists have been looking ahead to snow in the mountains and plains. In Kashmir, the harshest period of winter starts from December…
Read MoreKashmir Valley witnessing longest dry spell of decade
No Rains, Snow For 5th Consecutive Month As the Meteorological Department predicted no rains or snow for the coming week, ongoing dry spell is likely to enter fifth month, Kashmir’s longest dry period of the decade. Sonam Lotus, Director local MeT Department told Kashmir Post that dry spell continues as western disturbances failed to bring enough moisture to Kashmir. “From mid-September to till date, Kashmir has only recorded 5 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 100mm,” he said. He informed as per normal rainfall, the Kashmir must have…
Read MoreCold wave tightened grips across Kashmir, Weatherman predicts no respite
Cold wave tightened its grip across Kashmir as minimum temperature dropped at most places in the Valley, with Srinagar recording a low of minus 5.5 degree Celsius last night, officials said on Friday. On Friday—the third day of 40-day-long harshest winter period called ‘Chillai-Kalan’—the Dal Lake in Srinagar and most other water bodies in the Valley were seen partially frozen. “The maximum temperature recorded in Srinagar on Friday was 8.1 degree Celsius while the minimum was minus 5.5 degree Celsius,” a Meteorological department official here told Kashmir Post. He said…
Read MoreKashmir braces for ‘Chillai Kalan’, Leh records season’s coldest night, temp drops to minus 13.8
As Kashmir braces for Chillai Kalan, the harshest 40-day spell of winter, the fast dipping sub-zero temperature has slowed down the pace of daily life here. Srinagar recorded a minimum of minus 4.2 degree Celsius on Sunday night, a minus-three-degree Celsius departure from the normal. The maximum day temperature too fell to nine degree Celsius. “Most shops open after 10 a.m. in Srinagar to avoid the morning cold wave,” said Reyaz Ahmad, a shopkeeper at Srinagar’s commercial hub Lal Chowk. Government employees too are showing up late for work. Chillai…
Read MoreAt -4.9°C Srinagar records coldest night of season
Srinagar experienced its coldest night of the season as the mercury settled nearly five degrees below freezing point, resulting in freezing of water supply lines and water bodies. The temperature at night was recorded at minus 4.9°C, down from the previous night’s – 4.5°C, an official of the Meteorological Department said. The official said the sub-zero temperatures have resulted in freezing of water supply lines in many areas of the Valley, while fringes of several other water bodies were also frozen. Qazigund also recorded its lowest temperature of the season…
Read MoreKashmir Valley readies for ‘Chillai Kalan’
The Kashmir Valley readies for the 40-day long ‘Chillai Kalan’ as night temperatures dropped below freezing point on Thursday in the valley with a cold wave prevailing throughout. An official of the MET department told IANS: “Cold, dry weather with foggy conditions in the morning is expected in Jammu and Kashmir during the next 24 hours (till Friday).” “Night temperatures throughout the Kashmir Valley remained below freezing point and the minimum temperatures dropped several notches below zero in the Ladakh region,” he added. The night temperatures were minus 0.4 in…
Read MoreAiling Dal Lake continues to shrink : Study
The Dal Lake, a jewel of Kashmir’s tourism industry, has shrunk by 24.49 per cent in the past 155 years and is becoming increasingly polluted with at least 32 per cent of it described as “severely degraded,” according to a latest research. The study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Kashmir has concluded that the lake had lost 24.49 per cent of its area between 1859 to 2013 as it faced “multiple pressures” from unplanned urbanisation, high population growth and nutrient load from intensive agriculture and…
Read MoreGulmarg receives first snowfall, border towns in Kupwara cut off
The Gulmarg meadow resort of the Valley received the season’s first snowfall overnight while the border towns in Kupwara were blocked by heavy snow. An official of the state Meteorological Department said Gulmarg received 1.5 millimetres of snowfall, covering the meadow resort with a thin layer of snow. The minimum temperature in Gulmarg had dropped to -2.0°Celsius overnight. It is the first snowfall in the region as it heads into a long winter with night temperature already falling below the freezing point during the past weeks. The official said several…
Read MoreHC asks DC Bla, SSP to seal all illegal structures in Gulmarg before Dec 19
The High Court has formed an expert committee headed by Deputy Commissioner Baramulla to ensure that no illegal structure is constructed in famous tourist resort of Gulmarg. Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against encroachments in Gulmarg, a single bench headed by Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar directed Deputy Commissioner Baramulla and SSP Baramulla to seal all the illegal constructions after on-spot inspection of the tourist resort. “A committee of Deputy Commissioner Baramulla and SSP Baramulla is constituted. The committee shall visit the Gulmarg within three days time from today. It…
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