Water supply hit as mercury dips further in Kashmir

Srinagar: Officials said on Saturday that Srinagar city recorded a low of minus 7.2°C while the rest of Kashmir valley saw minus temperatures gripping areas, paralysing life and also disrupting daily routine. Most of the areas of Srinagar city, including Boulevard road where most of the hotels and houseboats are situated, have no drinking water available as the taps and water supplies have frozen. In most of the villages, people now go to the nearby water bodies and break the ice on their surfaces to wash their faces and bring the drinking water in the utensils as the water supplies are frozen in most of the rural areas.

In many villages especially in South and North Kashmir, sub-zero temperatures  have been recorded to minus 14 °C with the result all the water supply points are frozen.

It is in place to mention that in the past two months, the minimum temperatures have remained far below the normal and it has resulted in freezing of water bodies including Dal Lake in Srinagar.

Pahalgam heath resort of South Kashmir, which is also base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, is witnessing very low temperatures from the past days.

According to the Met department, mercury settled at minus 12.5°C in Pahalgam against minus 12.0°C on the previous night.

However, the 40-day harshest winter period known locally as Chillai-Kalan will end on 31 January, bringing glimmer of hope among the locals that after the period is over there would be respite from sub-zero temperatures.

According to the Met department of Kashmir, there will be cloudy weather with the possibility of light snowfall at isolated places of J&K on 31 January and 1 February. “Light to moderate snow and rain is most likely at scattered places of J&K mainly during 2-3 February,” the MeT department further said.