Shimla: The two-month long drought across Himachal has finally ended and the change in weather has brought cheer to the faces of farmers and gardeners again. The biggest impact of the fresh snowfall is being seen in apple horticulture.
Apple plantation worth six thousand crores in the state was in danger due to lack of snowfall. Gardeners were making artificial arrangements to meet the chilling hours, but now they are no longer needed.
Snowfall had started in apple dominated areas from Wednesday morning and this sequence continued for almost the whole day. Higher altitude areas in Shimla, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, and Chamba have received the first snowfall of the season.
Shimla has received fresh snowfall in the higher-altitude areas of Khadapathar, Kufri, Naldehra, Kukusmari, Manali, Keylong, Bharmour, Jot, Pangi, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu and Kinnaur. According to the Meteorological Department, there has been eight to 12 cm snowfall in these parts of the state.
The weather continues to be bad and there is a possibility of more snowfall on Thursday. Apart from snowfall, rain has also been recorded in many parts of the state on Wednesday.
Two mm to 25.9 mm rainfall has been recorded in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Kinnaur, Kangra, Chamba, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Una, Solan, Lahaul-Spiti. Udaipur in Lahaul-Spiti recorded the highest rainfall of 25.9 mm in the state on Wednesday.
Apart from this, 25.2 mm in Saloni of Chamba district, 15 mm in Kothi of Kullu, 14.2 mm in Kukusmari of Lahaul-Spiti, 14 mm in Khadrala of Shimla, 12 mm in Manali, 9 mm in Rampur Bushahr, 8.6 mm in Bharmour, Dharamshala. Seven mm rainfall has been recorded in Dalhousie, Sarahan, 5.6 mm in Sundernagar, five mm each in Rohru and Sangla, 4.8 mm in Barthin, four mm each in Baijnath and Chaupal, three in Mandi and 2.8 mm in Shimla.
On the other hand, state convenor of United Kisan Morcha Harish Chauhan said that apple business worth Rs. 6 thousand crores is done in the state every year. Chilling hours are required since November, but this time it has rained on the last day of January.
He said that if the weather continues to be bad for the next week and there is snowfall, then the chilling hours will be completed. This snowfall has come as a big gift for the gardeners.
