Gopal Sharma
JAMMU, Oct 11: While rain and hailstorm damaged crops, the strong winds uprooted some trees and electricity poles whereas, with the heavy downpour the temperature experienced a sharp decline in Jammu areas.
Reports from Kathua and parts of Jammu district said that paddy, pulses and oil seed crops suffered heavy damage in Kathua, Billawar, parts of Udhampur, Basohli, Hiranagar, border belt of Samba and Jammu areas today. The thunder shower with strong winds uprooted several trees at different places and caused disruption in the movement of traffic. Some electric wires and poles also suffered damage and the power supply to some areas was affected.
As the sky was over cast with the thick black clouds, the vehicles were plying by lighting their headlights as it appeared near darkness at around 4 pm this evening. Then with the thunder-storm, heavy downpour commenced. The roads and lanes were overflowing with the rain waters and the normal life came to near halt during the rain hit capital city. The water logging was witnessed at various city crossings and roads.
Reports from Kathua said that in entire Ujh river belt from Billawar to Pakistan border in district Kathua, heavy hailstorm caused extensive damage to the crop this evening. A senior officer of the Agriculture Department in Kathua told the Excelsior that paddy and pulses crops suffered extensive damage today. He pointed out that he has received information from various field officers of the different areas who indicated that loss may be more than 60 to 70 percent. Not only in this particular belt but damages has also been reported from several areas of Hiranagar, Basohli and parts of Samba district.
In district Jammu reports of crop damage have also been received from several border areas of Bishnah, R S Pura, Marh and Akhnoor area. The authorities have yet to go for the assessment of the loss caused to the farmers.
Meanwhile, with the heavy rain this afternoon, there has been sharp decline in the temperature in the Jammu areas which experienced some rise in the day temperature in last couple of days. Though Met office recorded the maximum day temperature in Jammu as 32.4 degree Celsius but in the evening it has gone down considerably (more than five degrees) as compared to yesterday’s minimum temperature of 24.3 degree Celsius. The Met office spokesman has predicted thunder-storm and down pour in parts of Jammu region in the next 24 hours.
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