*Autumn Fury: Hailstorms and Heavy Rains Wreak Havoc on Chidren, Shopian’s Apple Orchards*
*SHOPIAN, Aug 30*– A severe spell of unseasonal hailstorms and heavy rainfall has left a trail of devastation across the apple orchards of Chidren in the Shopian district, dealing a potentially crippling blow to the region’s vital fruit industry.
The intense weather event, which struck on Wednesday afternoon, saw marble-sized hailstones and relentless rain lash the area for over an hour. The aftermath reveals a grim picture: vast swathes of apple orchards, which were in full bloom, now lie battered and broken.
The hail has shredded delicate blossoms and young fruitlets, stripping them from the trees and blanketing the ground in a layer of white and pink. Beyond the blossoms, the ferocious storm has also severely damaged the tender leaves and branches essential for the fruit’s growth, raising fears of a catastrophic loss to this year’s harvest.
“For us, these blossoms are not just flowers; they are our year’s income, our livelihood,” said a distraught orchard owner, Ghulam Mohammad, surveying the damage to his family’s land. “In just one hour, everything we worked for all year is gone. We were expecting a good yield, but now there is nothing left. The trees themselves have been wounded.”
Shopian is renowned as the “Apple Bowl of Kashmir” and is a critical contributor to the region’s economy. The damage in Chidren is a significant concern for the entire horticulture sector, which employs a large portion of the local population.
Officials from the Horticulture Department have confirmed reports of widespread damage and have begun initial assessments. “Our teams are on the ground in the affected areas of Shopian to evaluate the extent of the loss,” said a department spokesperson. “A detailed report will be compiled, which will be essential for seeking relief and compensation for the affected farmers.”
This event has reignited calls from farmer unions for more robust government support, including improved weather forecasting systems tailored for horticulture zones and expanded crop insurance schemes to cushion farmers against such frequent climate shocks.
As farmers begin the heartbreaking task of clearing the debris, the community faces an anxious wait to see if the surviving trees can recover, and what support will come to help them weather this latest storm.
