Rajasthan: Churu witnesses intense hailstorm, landscape turns white

Churu (Rajasthan) [India], March 1 (ANI): The Churu district in Rajasthan, which is part of the Great Indian Thar Desert, witnessed heavy rainfall and hailstorms. The landscape turned white in Bhanipura, Bisarasar, Rajasar, and Sardarshahar, with hailstones the size of jujubes (fruit).
Several farmers in Churu say that they have been affected by heavy downpours and hailstorms, which have caused crop losses. The affected villages include Rajasar Panwaran village, which falls under the jurisdiction of Bhanipura police station.
Vishnu Parikh, a farmer from Rajasar Panwaran village, said that the sudden hailstorm destroyed the crops, which were on the verge of ripening. "This season, the farmers sow mustard, wheat, barley, isabgol, fenugreek and gram (chana). The farmers have suffered heavy losses due to the sudden hailstorm," the farmer said.
Raj Kumar Sharma, another farmer from Churu, urged the government to compensate farmers who have incurred losses due to the intense hailstorm.
"We have suffered huge loss due to the hailstorm. Many places have witnessed intense weather conditions, due to which the roads turned white. It felt like Jammu and Kashmir. Farmers have been ruined. I appeal to the government to compensate the farmers," Sharma said.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of a hailstorm and thunderstorm with moderate to heavy rainfall and lightning expected in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, within the next hour.
The IMD also forecasted light to moderate rainfall, along with light thunderstorms and lightning, in the areas of Sahaswan, Badayun, Sikandra Rao, and Ganjdundwara in Uttar Pradesh.
The Meteorological Department also noted that a major cloud mass, associated with a western disturbance, is moving away from the Indian region. As a result, weather activity is expected to reduce from today in northwest India.
Weather activity is currently occurring over the western and adjoining central parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, parts of the western Himalayan region, and extreme southern India.
Meanwhile, the national capital experienced light rainfall on Saturday morning, with showers recorded in areas including India Gate, Teen Murti, and Central Secretariat. The Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the "moderate" category.
At 8 am on Saturday, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded in the "moderate" category, registering a reading of 136, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Data from the CPCB showed that the AQI at Chandni Chowk was 153, Jahangirpuri 146, Bawana 164, Okhla Phase 2 393, and RK Puram 111, as of 8 am. (ANI)