Bountiful and 'snowful', winter reclaims its glory in Kashmir

The fear instilled by an unprecedented six-month-long dry spell is over. Kashmir is back to what it has always been known and loved for. Heavy snowfall has replenished the perennial water reservoirs in the hills, even as the plains are intermittently lashed by moderate snowfall. Farmers and apple growers have heaved a sigh of relief. The dry spell is no longer going to threaten their future. Springs, streams, lakes and rivers are again flowing gracefully, even though partially frozen due to the bone-chilling cold. "Before the snowfall, the Jhelum river (that cuts through the summer capital Srinagar) had been flowing at a record 40-year low. Other water sources feeding drinking water supplies, etc., had almost dried out. "Rural areas, dependent on springs and streams, had been facing serious water shortages. Thank God, that situation has been reversed," said a senior engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department.