Farmers worried as many irrigation channels go dry

Farmers in lower areas of Kangra district are worried over the continued dry spell because of scanty rainfall in September, October and November. Several parts of the district have experienced rains below average, adversely affecting the wheat crop.

However, Agriculture Department officials say that there is no immediate threat to the standing crops. Agriculture experts expect better rainfall in December and January and February, which can save the crops from further damage.

A senior officer of the Irrigation and Public Health Department said that water discharge from various rivers and rivulets in Kangra valley had come down to 40 to 50 per cent. If does not rain there could be drinking water crisis. Many irrigation channels in the district had already gone dry as there is no water in the rivers and local khuds.

Many small hydel power projects in Kangra valley getting water from Neugal, Baner, Binwa and Awa khuds have been shut following shortage of water in these rivers. There is no snow on the Dhauladhar hills, which feed these rivers. Himachal Pradesh is currently in the grip of an unprecedented meteorological event, experiencing the driest winters as it had not rained since the first week of September. This dry spell draws comparisons to the exceptional conditions observed in 2023 and 2007 when the rain deficit during the same period was 99%.

The conventional weather conditions required for snowfall involve a collision between cold air from the North Pole and hot air from the Mediterranean region. However, this year, an unusually low wind in the North Pole dominates, leading to a suppressed area of low pressure disrupting the usual weather pattern. The state is grappling with biting cold wave conditions and dense fog has disrupted normal life in the plains and lower hills of Kangra, Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Solan.