Srinagar, June 20
Unprecedented heat wave has gripped Kashmir as temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius have prevailed for the past few days.
Srinagar city recorded 35.2 degrees Celsius as the maximum temperature on Thursday, the highest June temperature ever during the last two decades. Jammu city recorded 36.5 as the maximum, bringing down the gap between the maximum temperatures in Jammu and Srinagar cities to just 1.3 degrees Celsius.
An unprecedented heat wave has caused a sharp drop in the water level of the Jhelum River, which is the main water body of the Valley starting from Verinag Spring in Anantnag district and passing over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) through the Uri town of Baramulla district.
Since perennial water reservoirs in the mountains, which sustain the Valley during the hot summer months, have already been depleted because of lesser snowfall in winter, water level in mountain streams, springs, rivers, lakes and wells has also alarmingly fallen.
Farmers in the highlands of Ganderbal, Srinagar, Budgam, Bandipora, Kupwara, Baramulla, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag districts are already crying over water shortages for their Paddy fields and apple orchards.
Paddy fields in some of the higher areas have started getting adversely hit by less irrigation water.