Kashmir sees unusual rise in temperatures, water level in Jhelum hits historic low

SRINAGAR: Kashmir is experiencing unusual heatwave conditions, with day temperatures staying several degrees above normal on Thursday and the water level in the river Jhelum hitting a historic low, officials said.

Maximum temperatures across the Valley stayed 10.8 to 13.7 degrees above the seasonal average, they said.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded the maximum temperature of 24.7 degrees Celsius, 11.7 degrees above normal.

The famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded a high of 17.2 degrees Celsius, 13.7 degrees above normal.

According to independent weather forecaster Faizan Arif, this is the first time that the resort has recorded a maximum temperature of 17.2 degrees in the first week of March.

The current temperatures are comparable to the climatological averages Gulmarg usually records in late May, her said.

Similarly, the maximum temperature in Qazigund was 24.6 degrees Celsius, 12 degrees above normal. Pahalgam at 20.8 degrees Celsius was 10.8 degrees above the seasonal average. Kupwara and Kokernag recorded 11.2 and 11.9 degrees above the normal, officials said.

Winter in Kashmir was unusually warm this year, with only a few spells of snowfall.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its seventh consecutive rainfall-deficient winter this year with a massive 65 per cent departure from normal.

In the core winter period from December to February, the region received only 100.6 mm of rain against the normal of 284.9 mm.

Owing to the scant precipitation, water levels were low in several of the Valley’s water bodies.

Arif said the river Jhelum was flowing at its historic low.

The water level of Jhelum at Sangam was 0.86 feet at 9 am on Thursday, indicating that the river is flowing below the zero gauge level.

He said the low water level in Jhelum in the first week of March is a serious concern.

The independent forecaster said February witnessed unusually warm conditions, with temperatures hovering more than 10 degrees above normal on several occasions.

“During the early phase of this warmth, the water level in Jhelum did increase slightly by a couple of feet, but the rise remained short-lived and limited. Historically, when such warm spells affected Kashmir during winter or early spring, water used to rise in Jhelum by 5-8 feet, reflecting strong snowmelt from surrounding mountains,” he said.

However, this year the response remained very weak.

The drop in the river’s water level in early March clearly indicates that winter precipitation and snow accumulation were extremely low this year, leaving very little snowpack available to sustain meltwater discharge, Arif said.

This situation could become a concern for paddy cultivation if conditions do not improve in the coming weeks, he asserted.

In Kashmir Valley, he said, paddy nursery preparation usually begins in April and May, when farmers rely heavily on water from rivers, streams and irrigation canals fed by snowmelt. Limited water availability during this period could affect nursery preparation and early sowing stages, he explained.

For now, the unusually low water levels should be seen as an early indicator that the hydrological situation this year is not very encouraging so far. If precipitation improves in the coming weeks, the situation may still recover to some extent, Arif added. (PTI)