Srinagar, Jan 11 An unabated cold wave continued in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Saturday as the MET department forecast light rain in the plains of Jammu division and snow in the higher reaches of the Union Territory (UT) during the next 24 hours.
A MET department statement said on Saturday, “On January 11, the weather would be generally cloudy with light rain in the plains of Jammu division and snow at isolated higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir divisions during the next 24 hours.”
Srinagar recorded minimum temperature of minus 3.6 degree celsius, Gulmarg minus 6.5 degree celsius and Pahalgam minus 7.1 degree celsius on Saturday.
Jammu city had 7.1 degree celsius, Katra town 6.1 degree celsius, Batote 4.2, Banihal 1.2 and Bhaderwah 0.9 degree celsius as the night’s lowest temperature.
The 40-day-long period of intense winter cold called the ‘Chillai Kalan’ started on December 21 and will end on January 30.
After the end of the Chillai Kalan, gradual improvement starts in the weather till it becomes pleasant in late April and early May ushering in spring, the season of flowers in Kashmir.
As the cold wave continued unabated across the Valley and places in Jammu division, people used all sorts of electric appliances to keep themselves warm.
Dependence on electrically-charged heating appliances has remained frustrating for Kashmiris as there are shortages of electricity due to many reasons.
Water discharge in local rivers drops to the lowest during the winter months. This adversely affects the generation capacity of hydro-electric power projects in J&K.
With meagre resources of its own, the government has to pay through its nose for every unit of electric power imported from outside the UT.
This results in scheduled and unscheduled curtailments and shutdowns of electric supply in the UT.
In such a situation, people fall back on the use of the tweed overgarment ‘Pheran’ and the earthen firepot woven in a willow wicker basket called the ‘Kangri’ to beat the bone chilling cold.
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