Hailstorm wreaks havoc in Kulgam

Kulgam, May 01: Severe hailstorm wreaked havoc on several villages in Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Monday, causing significant damage to orchards.
The storm hit the area in the afternoon and affected several villages in the region.
The extent of the damage caused by the hailstorm is yet to be determined.
According to locals, the hail storms hit on Monday afternoon affecting the areas like Manzgam, Korel, Asnoor, Mandobal, Rewatan, Watto, and Tangmarg.
“The most affected are Mandobal and Rewatan villages,” the locals added.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Noorabad, and Tehsildar Damhal Hanjipora (DH Pora) visited the hailstorm-affected areas along with the team of Horticulture officials to assess the post-hailstorm situation.
Rayees Mushtaq, an expert in the horticulture field said that the hailstorm in this season to apples appears as small dents which will lead to some bruising of the apple fruit and some discoloration.
“The other injuries can appear as gashes in the fruit as the hail falls, cratering that will eventually lead to broken skin or the fruit will be completely knocked off the tree. Also, damage to the foliage of plants leads to damage in terms of quality production and less growth of the plant,” he said.
Tehsildar DH Pora, Rouf Ahmad Lone told Rising Kashmir that they visited hailstorm-hit areas along with the team and that the horticulture department is taking an assessment of the damage caused to the horticulture sector.
“The damage has been caused to the horticulture sector only. The most affected areas are Mandobal and Rewatan villages. The relevant department will assess the damage,” he said,
He said that the hail storm lasted for 15 or more minutes and caused damage to these areas.
A horticulture official confirmed to Rising Kashmir that as per preliminary assessment, there is some damage to fruit-bearing plants as its blooming season.
“As of now, we can’t ascertain the actual damage caused due to hailstorm. After due assessment we can confirm the exact percentage of damage caused due to it,” he said.