Heat wave intensifies in lower regions of Himachal, Una sizzles at 44.4°C

Our Correspondent

Una, May 16

The heat wave has intensified in the lower regions of the state. The Meteorological Department recorded the maximum temperature of 44.4°C in Una today. Shopping centres in the district looked deserted during the day. In the past two months, there had been just one light precipitation, that, too, only in some parts of the district.

As farmers have harvested the rabi crop, there is very little agricultural activity in the district these hot days. However, the vast sand beds of the Swan river, which are still moist with the sub surface water, are teeming with summer vegetables and fruits.

Like in past years, this year, too, migrant vegetable cultivators from Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh have cultivated bottle gourd, pumpkin, water melon, cucumber, musk melon, tomato and other cucurbits on about 15,000 kanals of the riverbed.

Vegetables and fruits are being harvested and thousands of tonnes of produce is arriving at the vegetable markets of Himachal and neighbouring states everyday.

Anees Muhammad, a farmer who had cultivated vegetables on 15 kanals, says that he has a bumper crop this season as cucurbits thrive in hot weather.