Srinagar: Fear of drought amid prolonged dry spell; advisories issued
A long dry spell sent the mercury soaring in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar, which recorded its hottest-ever March this year and raised the specter of drought-like conditions. Authorities have advised farmers in many areas not to cultivate paddy, a water-intensive crop, and the agricultural department is also preparing a contingency plan to deal with any eventuality.
Kashmir Valley witnessing above-normal maximum temperatures in March
"The Kashmir Valley has been witnessing above-normal maximum temperatures. Especially in the month of March, the day temperatures were eight to 11 notches above the normal," said an official of the Meteorological Department. "Though there has been some relief in this month, the maximum temperature is still above the normal for this part of the year," the official added.
The valley recorded the hottest ever month of March
The MeT official said the Kashmir valley recorded the hottest ever month of March this year, adding that the maximum temperature also broke the nearly five-decade-old record.
Srinagar recorded a maximum of 28.3 degrees on March 31
On the last day of March this year, Srinagar recorded a maximum of 28.3 degrees Celsius, which was 10.7 degrees above the normal. It was the all-time high recorded by the capital city in its recorded history. The last record the highest day temperature in Srinagar in March was 27.3 degrees Celsius on 27 March 1971, the official said.
Only 20% of rainfall in January and February
Deputy director, meteorological center, Srinagar, Mukhtar Ahmad said Kashmir has been witnessing a mainly dry spell since January and it may continue to experience above normal maximum temperatures. There was not much rainfall or snow in January and February. There was only about 20% of rainfall. He said March was also dry, adding, "The temperature has shot up because of the prolonged dry spell.
Less rainfall made the situation worrisome and alarming
The situation was worrisome and alarming as less rainfall would impact "almost everything", even causing forest fires as was recently seen, Ahmad said. "This is an alarming situation. But, we've seen that there have been dry spells in some years. We had a dry winter in 2014, then we had much rains in 2015. So, this cycle is there every three-four years," he added.
J&K is in the category of large rain-deficient state
According to the IMD, J&K is in the category of large rain-deficient state for the period between March 1 and April 4 this year. While the normal rainfall for this period for the state is 164.8 mm, the state has received just 64.4 mm deficient by 61%. In January, Srinagar received 1.2 mm rainfall as compared to the normal range of 53.9 mm.
J&K farmers advised not to cultivate paddy this season
The deficient rainfall and snowfall prompted J&K's Irrigation and Flood Control department to issue advisories to farmers in various districts to opt for crops other than paddy as the Valley stares at the prospects of a drought. In March, the IFC Department advised farmers in north Kashmir and central Kashmir's Ganderbal not to cultivate paddy this season due to water scarcity.
