MidnightWatcher's Blogspot

“MANALI: Devastating thunderstorm and heavy rains coupled with hailstorm on Saturday destroyed agricultural and horticultural crops in many villages in Kullu and Mandi district of Himachal.

Preliminary estimates said that apple crop in Kullu district and high hills of Mandi has been severely damaged while dry wheat crop and vegetables in thousands of acres of land have considerably suffered. Hailstones, weighing about 25 to 40 grams, continued for 20 minutes and damaged apple, pear, peach and vegetables. The most affected villages in Mandi were Kelodhar, Baksial, Bada, Dharot, Gohar, Chachyot, Thunag and Janjahli. Lightning, hailstones and high velocity winds along with rains wreaked havoc in Haripur, Shaleen, Barod, Chhiyal, Poojan, Shangchar, Badagran and many other Kullu villages.

Apple growers are already facing hardships due to poor crop yield this year and the bad weather has added to their misery. ‘The intensity of the hailstorm was so severe that it knocked down fruits from the trees. The strong winds uprooted many trees and flattened wheat crop which was ready for harvesting,’ said Khem Singh Thakur, an orchardist in Kelodhar village.” Read more.