Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Jan 18 : Two minors died in Kashmir as cold wave weather conditions continue to persist here with temperatures plummeting to several notches below freezing.
The children belonged to a Bakerwal family of Reasi who were camping in Brinal Lammar area of Devsar in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
The family was putting up in a tent under open sky in Brinal Lammar area previous night when their 10 year old son Sahil Zubair son of Zubair Ahmad Mandar died of severe cold inside the tent.
Last night, their 6-year-old daughter Shazia Jan also developed some complications due to severe cold weather conditions and the family immediately shifted her to a nearby healthcare facility. The child died on way to the healthcare facility.
Authorities said that they had already asked the family to shift to a nearby school for shelter but they did not listen. He also said that they had also provided them ration and blankets on Saturday, as they did not shift to the nearby school for shelter
In the meantime, intense cold weather conditions continued in Kashmir even as the minimum temperatures increased marginally across the Valley.
A Meteorological Departm-ent official said that Srinagar recorded a low of minus 6.4 degree Celsius against minus 7.7 degree Celsius previous night. At minus 8.4 degree Celsius, Srinagar witnessed the season’s coldest night last week and it was the chilliest night in 3 decades. Last time in 1991, Srinagar witnessed a low of minus 11.8 degree Celsius.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperatures continued far below normal in other parts of the Valley, settling at minus 6.8 degree Celsius in Pahalgam against minus 8.7 degree Celsius on the previous night.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 8.3 degree Celsius against 9.0 degree Celsius previous night and was the coldest place in the Valley. Kokernag recorded a low of minus 6.9 degree Celsius against 8.7 degree Celsius the previous night.
Against minus 5.2 degree Celsius on the previous night in Kupwara, the mercury settled at minus 6.8 degree Celsius in the North Kashmir district.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 6.0 degree Celsius against minus 4.2 degree Celsius on the earlier night.
With the freezing temperatures, water bodies and taps continue to freeze in Kashmir. The roads have become sheet of ice leading to slippery conditions during evenings and mornings.
Kashmir is in the middle of Chillai-Kalan, the 40-day winter period which commenced on December 21 and ends on January 31. The period is considered the harshest of the winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum.
The cold wave, however, continues even after that in Kashmir with a 20-day-long ‘Chillai-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day-long ‘Chillai-Bachha’ (baby cold). Already, Kashmir valley received heavy snowfall earlier this month, disrupting normal life.
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