Srinagar, Nov 17, 2019:In the first week of November the snow damaged more than 150 structures including residential houses, whereas many apple orchards damaged across the Kashmir valley, reveals the report of Deputy Commissioner office, Srinagar.
An official in the Deputy Commissioner Office said, "As per the reports available around 175 residential houses have suffered a various kind of damage in the snowfall. While as, one house was fully damaged and two houses suffered partial damage in Khanyar,five mosques one in Shalteng and four in Pantha Chowk in Srinagar and as many as 7,434 fruit bearing trees ,28 cowsheds and 31 shops and business establishments suffered damage in the snowfall".
As per the official data, the area mainly in north Srinagar compromising Lal Bazar, Hazratbal, Zakura, Harwan, Dhara, Fakir Gujari, Khimber, Gulabbag and Shalimar has suffered a loss of over 2500 fruit bearing trees while 4500 and 434 trees suffered damage in Shalteng and Eidgah in Srinagar.
Heavy snowfall in Pulwama and Shopian districts has caused massive damage to apple orchards..
Imtiyaz Ahmad, a local farmer said that the snowfall has been heavier than usual for this season and is adversely affecting the apple produce.
Ahmad said, "The heavy snowfall damaged the apple trees and smashed their branches. The unexpected snowfall in the month of November has been heavier than the normal snowfall.
The snow gets accumulated on the tree branches and they collapse. Around 70 per cent of the production of apples has been affected."sources