Srinagar, Leh freeze as mercury drops below zero

Srinagar: As the mercury continued to dip further, Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar shivered at minus 3.4 degrees Celsius on Monday while Leh town in the Ladakh region virtually froze with the minimum temperature slipping to minus 12.8 degrees.

"Srinagar witnessed its coldest night of the season today (Monday) as the minimum temperature fell to minus 3.4 degrees. The minimum temperatures in Leh and Kargil towns were minus 12.8 and minus 11.2 degrees Celsius respectively," said R.K. Pandita, assistant director at the local weather office here.

Pandita said weather would remain cold and dry and temperature would slide further till Wednesday.

"It is not unusual for the temperatures to fall below freezing point at the beginning of December. But it is because of the extra cautions local take that there have never been any deaths due to the chilly weather," he added.

Although some affluent families have started using central heating systems for warmth, erratic electricity supply has made 'pherans' (tweed over garment) and 'Kangris' (earthen firepots woven in a willow wicker basket) Kashmiri's best bet against the cold weather.

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"It is better to adhere to traditional means than experiment with modern contraptions in a place where electric supply is unsure and dicey," said Bashir Ahmad War, a retired veterinarian here.

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