Solan, January 22
Widespread rain in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir has not only given relief to the power sector, which was over-stretched for the past few days, but has also brought a smile to the faces of farmers, who have been waiting for it eagerly.
With rain in almost all parts of Punjab, the PSEB authorities, which had ordered extensive power cuts on various sectors in the state, have heaved a sigh of relief. Power load in the state has come down tremendously because of this reason.
Moreover, the sixth unit of the Ropar Thermal Plant was put on steam again this morning. It has added a few lakh units to the power grid of the state.
Amritsar, which was shivering in temperature, got the maximum rainfall in Punjab today. It recorded 19 mm of rainfall. Reports of rain have come from all other districts of Punjab.
However, it is still below the expectation of the farming community in most parts of Punjab.
Met officials have warned that there would be heavy rainfall in some parts of this region that includes Punjab, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the next 48 hours.
Hailstorms may also hit some parts of the region, they added. Already, reports of heavy snow fall have come from the upper and lower reaches of the Shivalik Hills.
The Jammu belt of J and K has got the maximum rainfall in this region. Met officials said that 37 mm of rain has been recorded at Jammu. Reports of rain and snow have also come from Shimla and Kasauli.
What is good news for all concerned is that there is good rainfall in the catchment areas of the Gobind Sagar reservoir at Bhakra Nangal. It may be mentioned that the water level in the reservoir had fallen tremendously in the past weeks. Water level in other reservoirs such as Pong Dam and Ranjit Sagar Dam had also gone down drastically in the past few days. It had created a serious problem for the managements of the power and irrigation sectors.
Agriculture experts say the rain would prove good for the rabi crops in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J and K. They say that crops had come under “ moisture stress” in the absence of rain during the past four
weeks. The load on power sector had gone up because of this reason.
In fact there was less rainfall during December and January this year compared to last year. This factor has been causing worry among experts and farmers.
Experts say that rain should continue for the next 24 hours. It would be good if the average rainfall in the region touches 20 mm, they add.
