Snow a delight to Manali tourists and farmers

Tribune Reporters

Kullu, February 11

The tourist town of Manali experienced a fresh snowfall while the lower reaches of Kullu district were lashed by rain today.

Solang Nullah experienced about 15-cm snow while the higher reaches of the district experienced a heavy snowfall. Tourists had a gala time on the Mall Road and suburbs of Manali.

Snow and rain had disrupted the normal life in the Kullu-Manali area, blocking many link roads and suspension of 12 bus routes in the district. The traffic on many link roads was affected due to rain and landslides. The sole Air-India flight operating from Delhi to Kullu was also cancelled due to bad weather.

Tourists, especially honeymooners, enjoyed the snowfall but had a hard time in the cold due to fall in the temperatures. Snow was a boon for apple farmers and a welcome delight for the locals.

Nakul Khullar, a leading horticulturist, said the temperature below 7°Celsius was required for a minimum of 1,000 to 1,600 hours during winter for apple trees. The snowfall would assist in procuring the minimum required hours during the dormancy period of apple trees.

Snow in Kufri

The higher reaches of Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti had another spell of snowfall. Udaipur recorded 4 cm of snow followed by Kapla and Manali having 3 cm each. Tourist resort of Kufri in the suburbs of Shimla also experienced moderate snow.

The maximum temperatures decreased by 4 to 5 degrees. The Local Met Department has predicted rain and snow in low, mid and high hills tomorrow.