Srinagar: After several days of cloudy and rainy weather, the sun finally peeked through the clouds in Kashmir on Tuesday, bringing cheers to the farmers who were worried about their crops.
Director of the Meteorological Department, Sonam Lotus told Greater Kashmir that there would be significant improvement in weather from May 9 and would improve overall from May 10 for a week.
“With the improvement in weather, the temperature will also rise in Kashmir,” Lotus said.
According to experts, sunny weather would bring the much-needed relief to the farmers anxious about the delayed harvest season.
The recent spell of bad weather has led to a significant drop in the temperature, and many farmers are worried about the impact it would have on their crops.
However, the bright sun and the clear skies have brought a sense of relief to the farmers.
Bashir Ahmad, a farmer from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, said that the weather had been bad for the past few days, and farmers like him were worried about the crops.
“But now that the sun is out, we are hopeful that we will be able to harvest our crops on time,” he said.
While the weather is likely to remain sunny for the next week, the Horticulture Department, Kashmir, has already issued an advisory for the snow and hail-affected orchardists in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, Kulgam, and Shopian districts.
The department said that the sudden snowfall and hail storms have resulted in a dip in temperature and would have an adverse effect on the fruit set, particularly in the areas where the orchards are in full bloom.
Dean Horticulture Science SKUAST-K, Khalid Rasool told Greater Kashmir that there was still a window of hope for better crop cultivation in the horticulture sector if weather improves in the coming weeks.
“But the orchardists should not let water remain stagnant in orchards. They should go for proper drainage to avoid damage to the orchards,” he said.
Overall, the improved weather conditions have brought much-needed relief to the people of Kashmir, and they are hoping that it will continue for the foreseeable future.
The India Meteorological Department, Meteorological Centre, Rambagh, has forecasted mainly dry weather over the plains of J&K with light rain at one or two places over the higher reaches.
“The weather is likely to remain dry for the next two days as well,” the IMD said. It said that Srinagar recorded 19 degrees Celsius while Kupwara recorded 19.9 degree Celsius followed by 18 degrees Celsius in Qazigund, and 17 degrees Celsius in Kokernag.
The department forecasted clear sky on May 10 in Srinagar and Jammu.