SRINAGAR: Heavy rain, hailstorms and gusty winds battered parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, damaging apple orchards in south Kashmir and triggering flash floods in Pahalgam, while the Meteorological Department warned of more rain and thundershowers across the Union Territory over the next five days.
A hailstorm accompanied by intense rainfall struck several areas of Shopian and Kulgam districts, causing extensive damage to apple orchards and other standing crops. Growers in some of the worst-hit areas claimed that more than 90 per cent of the fruit crop had been damaged, although an official assessment is awaited.
Affected areas in Shopian included Feeripora, Mandujan, Pudsoo, Batagund, Kaprin and Rakhpora, while damage was also reported from Nihama, Samnoo, Rambhama, Chogalpora, Bathipora, Adijan, Gopalpora and Ladgoo in Kulgam district.
The adverse weather also triggered flash floods in Pahalgam after a spell of intense rain. Nallah Awoora overflowed, washing away a makeshift road in the Awoora area. The route had earlier been damaged during a cloudburst.
Earlier in the day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Srinagar, had issued a nowcast warning for heavy rain and brief intense showers in Anantnag, Pahalgam, Tral, Pulwama, Kulgam, Shopian and the Banihal-Ramban belt. The department warned that intense rainfall could trigger flash floods, landslides and mudslides in vulnerable areas.
According to the Meteorological Centre Srinagar, rain was recorded in many parts of Rajouri, Shopian, Kulgam, eastern Srinagar, Anantnag, Banihal-Ramban, Kishtwar and adjoining areas.
The weather office said several spells of light to moderate rain and thundershowers are likely across Jammu and Kashmir between August 16 and 19, with the possibility of heavy rain or brief intense showers in some districts. It warned that such weather conditions could lead to flash floods, landslides, mudslides, shooting stones and waterlogging in low-lying areas.
In the past 24 hours, Kathua recorded 62.4 mm of rainfall, followed by Bhaderwah with 62.2 mm and Reasi ARG with 34.5 mm.
Meanwhile, growers in the affected areas urged the administration to conduct an immediate assessment of losses and provide adequate compensation. They said the damage came at a crucial stage of the apple season after months of investment in orchard management.
The Kashmir Valley Fruit Growers-cum-Dealers Union expressed concern over the losses and called for immediate government intervention. The union urged authorities to send assessment teams to affected areas, provide financial assistance to growers and introduce an effective crop insurance mechanism and Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to protect orchardists from recurring weather-related losses.
The union said repeated natural calamities had increased the vulnerability of the horticulture sector and stressed the need for long-term measures to safeguard growers’ livelihoods. (KNO)
