SRINAGAR: ‘Chilai Kalan', the harshest winter period of 40 days when there are maximum chances of snow and rains, started in Kashmir on Thursday.
‘Chilai Kalan’, the coldest and harshest period of the winter in Kashmir starts on December 21 and ends on January 31.
During the 40-day period, Kashmir remains in grip of cold wave conditions with maximum chances of snowfall and rainfall.
The plains and upper reaches of the Valley experienced light to moderate rains on the first day of Chilai Kalan.
A weather department official, Mukhtar Ahmad, told New Indian Express that the night temperatures would remain below freezing point.
He said the weather system does not anticipate any snow in the Valley for a week.
“We are expecting the dry weather condition. The night temperature may drop below sub zero while the day temperature is likely to remain above freezing point,” Mukhtar said.
The all-time lowest temperature recorded in Valley in December is - 12.8 degree Celsius, which was recorded in 1934.
Due to intense cold wave conditions, the taps and water bodies freeze during nights in ‘Chilai Kalan’ and people have to heat water supply lines to defreeze the taps.
During 'Chilai Kalan', people enjoy ‘Harissa’ a meshed meat delicacy that is served hot in breakfast.
It is a popular winter delicacy in Kashmir and prepared by grounding mutton to a paste and cooking it with rich and aromatic spices. Preparing Harissa is laborious, as it takes around 12 hours to cook the delicacy and one has to wait a further 12 hours overnight before consuming it.
An elderly person, Abdul Samad, a retired teacher, said he does not expect snow of yesteryears because of various reasons including deforestation.
“The Valley used to experience heavy snowfall and long icicles would hang from rooftops of houses for a long time. But unfortunately now, Valley does not experience heavy snowfall,” he said.
Over the years, Kashmir has been experiencing les snowfall during winters, especially in Chilai Kalan.
Aziz said people should pray for snow during ‘Chilai Kalan’ as it is very important and crucial for Valley.
“The snow in Valley during the ‘Chilai Kalan’ remains frozen and provides water supply to the water bodies during the summers. However, owing to global warming, we are witnessing less now during the winters, especially in Chilai Kalan,” he said .
He said snowfall may cause temporary disturbances in the daily life of people but in the long run, it is in the overall interest of Kashmir and would benefit the people.
Another official of Metrological department said snow is very important for Kashmir.
Terming snow as lifeline for the Valley, he said, “Since Kashmir is a bowel-shaped Valley, we need snow. It (snow) it is our store house of water in the shape of glaciers”.
“We need more snow than rain,” he added.
The ‘Chilai Kalan’ is expected to be harsh this winter due to the ongoing power crisis in the Valley.
The 40-day harshest winter period (Chilai Kalan) is followed by a 20-day long Chilai Khurd (small cold) and a 10-day long Chilai Bachha (baby cold).