At -27.7 °C, Drass sees year’s coldest night

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 18

Drass, India’s coldest inhabited place in Kargil district of Ladakh Union Territory (UT), has recorded this winter’s lowest temperature so far.

The minimum temperature plummeted to -27.7°C while maximum temperature was recorded at -13°C. Drass, the second coldest place after Siberia (Russia) on earth is witnessing daily drop in temperature as December is progressing.

The inhospitable place of India is very strategic town along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan and its nearly 15,000 residents have been living in the area for centuries. Adapted to the harsh climate but the residents are mostly deprived of modern amenities, especially during winter months. Successive government’s in erstwhile J&K had also failed to resolve even basic issues of the people. Power supply is also erratic during the winters.

When contacted, Director IMD, Srinagar, Dr Sonum Lotus said, “It is likely to plummet further till mid January next year but -27.7 degrees was lowest so far recorded by our station. Overall cold conditions will intensify further”.

Lowest recorded temperature in the area was witnessed at -60°C on January 9, 1995.

“A majority of the people face lot of hardships as there is very poor health infrastructure. -30 to -35°C is common during the winters. The area needs focused development”, said Shazeya from Drass who is studying in Jammu.

For about seven months many hamlets in sparsely inhabited region remain cut off from rest of the world with the administration making stocking of fuel, food grains during the brief summer months.

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