Early Times Report
Srinagar, Dec 9: The longest dry spell of the decade in the valley is now taking a toll on people's health, as a number of people are getting infected with chest related diseases .According to doctors in Chest and Disease Hospital Dalgate Srinagar, "The prevailing dry weather in the valley is alarming high level of health implications as compared to summer, particularly among the kids and elderly ones."
They said that most of the patients visiting hospitals for the last one month complained of respiratory ailments like asthma, bronchitis, or general dehydration since body fluids are depleted during respiration.
"Due to the dry weather, in the November month and till this date of December, doctors here have witnessed more than twice of patients as compared to previous months, who complained of severe cold, cough and headache and breathing related issues which could be allergy or viral infection," said a group of Doctors in OPD Wards.
It is worth mentioning that the weather condition in the valley for the last two months has turned harsher before the arrival of Chillai Kalan, when temperature dips to subzero levels.
However, parts of the world famous Dal Lake near banks and interior areas were partially frozen this morning as summer capital, as per the reports of MET department Srinagar recorded coldest night of the season with thr mercury dropping to minus 3.7 degree.
The dry spell in Kashmir, continuing since September, has entered into the fourth month, making it one of the longest dry spells in Kashmir.
"We can say that it is the biggest dry spell that Kashmir has witnessed in a decade. Every year, we witness a few months of dry weather here, but this year it has persisted for a longer time," Director MeT department, Sonum Lotus, told The Early Times.
Prior to 2016, Kashmir, he said, saw a long dry spell in 2007, but that had lasted only for three months.
"In 2007, no rainfall was recorded in the October, November and December. As now it has entered into the fourth month and is expected to continue for another two weeks, it can be among the longest dry spells in Kashmir," he said.
As per the MeT department, the amount of rainfall has been decreasing since July, when around 31mm rain was recorded in the valley.
"In July the rainfall was recorded 31mm in valley and in August it was 16mm. After that dry spell continued here," Lotus added. The environmentalists also term the prevailing dry spell coupled with fog as an 'abnormal weather condition', saying that the winters in valley are getting harsher, gradually. The conditions were not alarming and can be a repercussion of the climate change that the entire world has been witnessing. |
