Mild showers offer little relief from heat

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 11

After a dry spell of almost seven days, the city residents got a little respite from heat wave as the area witnessed mild showers early Wednesday morning.

However, the relief was short-lived as the showers left behind a high level of humidity in the air during noon which caused much trouble, especially to commuters.

In the agriculture sector too, the dry spell has increased trouble for farmers as it has increased the demand for power for irrigation as the farmers are solely dependent on ground water to keep their paddy fields inundated.

Avtar Singh, a farmer from Manan village, said, “Around 20 per cent of the fields are still to be transplanted in our area. The showers are of much help to farmers in this season. power cuts in rural areas have increased.”

While most of the farmers have already completed transplantation in their fields, shortage of labour from other states has resulted in a delay in transplantation for farmers who could not find labour in the first phase.

Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Dalbir Singh Chinna said “The basmati varieties, which are transplanted late, are being sown. Our field officials are in touch with farmers in villages,” he said, adding that as per meteorology forecast, the area would witness showers in the coming three days.