IDUKKI: Munnar is experiencing an unusual cold weather with frost damaging tea leaves in many plantations. The extreme cold condition has attracted tourists and most of the hotels and home-stays are booked to the full.
Areas like Sevenmala, Chenduvara, Silentvalley, Kannimalai and Lakshmi recorded negative temperature on several days.In some places a white blanket of frost could be seen in the early morning.
Munnar usually experiences cold weather conditions during November to February, but this year the number of days experiencing sub-zero temperature has been more than normal, a resident said.
Hoteliers in Munnar said the number of tourists visiting the place to enjoy the frost-covered hills and valleys is on the higher side. “Most of the hotels and resorts are fully booked and we have bookings for the coming days too,” Benny Mathew, a resort owner said.
“We hope the tourist arrivals will continue for some more weeks,” he added. While the tourism sector is feeling happy with the temperature dipping,tea plantations in the area are concerned about the frost like conditions that damage tea leaves and lead to wilting.
An official spokesperson with the Kannan Devan Hills Plantations said tea leaves have wilted in Chenduvara, Lakshmi, Kannimalai and Silentvalley areas where the frost fall has been reported. “However the company has not yet estimated the total loss. The loss can be estimated only after two days,” he said.