Chandigarh, March 31 Rain and hailstorms lashed several places in Haryana and Punjab on Tuesday, raising concerns among wheat growers who were anticipating damage to their crops, which were ready for harvest.
In Haryana, Hisar received 7.8 mm of rainfall, while Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Gurugram, Mahendragarh, Palwal, and Sonipat recorded 1 mm, 3 mm, 1 mm, 8 mm, 1.5 mm, and 0.5 mm of rainfall, respectively, according to a report by the Meteorological Department here.
There were reports of strong winds and hailstorms in Charkhi Dadri, Rewari, and Hisar in Haryana, as well as in Ferozepur, Muktsar, and Fazilka in Punjab.
The maximum temperatures in Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, and Mahendragarh were recorded at 33.9, 32.9, 33.2, and 28 degrees Celsius, respectively, according to the report.
In neighboring Punjab, Ferozepur and Fazilka received 7.5 mm and 2 mm of rainfall, respectively.
The maximum temperatures in Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala were 30.4, 33.6, and 34.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The maximum temperatures in Fazilka were 33.1 degrees Celsius, and in Ferozepur, they were 33.2 degrees Celsius.
Farmers in the areas affected by the hailstorms expressed their fear that their standing crops would be damaged.
In the Malout area of Muktsar district in Punjab, farmers pointed out that several agricultural fields in villages were affected due to the adverse weather conditions.
Farmers also said that in some areas, the wheat crop was flattened due to strong winds.
Manjit Singh Rai, president of the Bharti Kisan Union (Doaba), said that the combination of rain, hailstorm, and strong winds at this stage could affect the wheat crop yield.
He demanded that the state government conduct a survey of the affected fields to assess the damage and provide compensation to farmers.
The wheat procurement season is set to begin on April 1. Punjab has a target of procuring 122 lakh metric tonnes of wheat.
The MeT department said that moderate thunderstorms and gusty winds (40-50 km per hour) along with rain are likely in parts of Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, and adjoining areas.
The department also predicted thunderstorms and lightning with gusty winds at isolated places in Punjab and Haryana on April 3 and 4.