Ice Covers Srinagar’s Dal Lake as Cold Wave Prevails in Kashmir

Srinagar: The famous Dal Lake’s surface as well as that of other water bodies in Kashmir got covered by a layer of ice as cold wave-like conditions prevailed in the region.

People living in houseboats at Dal Lake had a tough time breaking the layer of ice over the water body to reach its banks. Water in pipes also froze in several parts of the Kashmir valley.

The minimum temperature in several parts of the valley dropped below the minus 4 degrees Celsius mark on Friday night.

Kashmir is currently under the grip of “Chilla-i-Kalan”, a 40-day harsh winter period. The chances of snowfall are the highest during this period.

Srinagar city recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius on Friday night. It was minus 3 degrees Celsius on the previous night.

‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ will end on January 31. However, the cold conditions will continue after that with a 20-day ‘Chilla-i-Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-day ‘Chilla-i-Bachha’ (baby cold).