The Hindu : New Delhi News : Cold wave intensifies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 07, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Cold wave intensifies

Death toll rises to 183; life paralysed in the Valley

NEW DELHI: Winter's toll rose to 183 with five more deaths reported in Uttar Pradesh overnight and one in Punjab as cold wave intensified in northern India.

The Kashmir valley braved another frigid day with major power cuts and roads buried under cover of snow.

In Uttar Pradesh, the frigid temperature coupled with dense fog claimed five more lives during the past 24 hours, taking the cold wave deaths in the State to 89 so far. Two persons died in Mahoba and one each in Hardoi, Mainpuri and Bareilly district overnight due to intense chill, police sources said.

All educational institutions have been closed in Bareilly district till January eight.

The tourist city of Agra recorded a minimum three degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal, the coldest in the State, followed by Sultanpur with four degrees (-5) and Varanasi with five degrees (-3).

Night temperatures across the State plunged from a degree to five degrees below normal. The weatherman has forecast no respite from the cold wave in the next 24 hours, and snowfall is likely in neighbouring Uttaranchal.

In Punjab, one person died due to the chill in Bhatinda district this morning taking the cold wave deaths to 14 in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh while nine others were killed in fog-related incidents during this winter.

In Jalandhar, people passed the coldest night of the season with the mercury dipping to minus 2.6 degree celsius. People in the adjoining town of Amritsar also experienced sub zero temperature at minus 0.7 degree celsius last night.

In Jammu and Kashmir, life was paralysed in the Valley for the fifth day today as there was no let up in the cold coupled with frequent power cuts and majority of the roads under cover of snow.

Women, children and the aged remained confined to their houses due to the freezing temperature.

People at several places took to streets to protest the government's failure to clear the snow from the roads and restore power and water supply.

The national capital saw a further dip in temperature, as chilly winds swept the city. The minimum temperature came down to 4.5 degrees, 0.5 degrees down from last night. The steep drop in temperature was attributed to Western disturbances and snowfall in several parts of North India. The cold wave is likely to intensify in the next 24 hours, according to the Met office.

Rajasthan continued to experience cold wave conditions following a fall in the mercury and the temperature plummeting below four to seven degrees Celsius below normal. While the capital Jaipur recorded the lowest temperature of the season at 2.2 degrees, six degrees below normal, the mercury dipped to minus four degrees in Mount Abu with the Nakki lake in the hill station having been frozen. - UNI

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