Ice/Frost in Nuwara Eliya, Srilanka.

From a resident of Nuwara Eliya.

 

Dear  all,

I got some nice pictures of present morning scenario of Nuwara-eliya these days.

 Everybody  looks at this like something to enjoy. but the pathetic part is so horrible. awful. Through out the night all this snow settles on the flowers and vegetables too.  When the sun shines by 08.00 a.m. snow starts to melt, damaging the petals of the flowers and the leaves of the vegetable items. Only the farmers who grow Carrot can survive as the ice effect on carrot leaves does not effect the carrot yam which is growing under grounds. All the other veggies even Potatoes can not survive as yam will not grow with ice damaged leaves.

These days there is a big shortage of flowers. In our field, even the blossoms are been taken. Most of the flowers are in poly tunnels and our flower production is somewhat  protected. But still the flowers like Alstermaria which grows in open field is destroyed with this ice. Most of the flowers are grown in open field in Nuwaraeliya and about 90% is destroyed.

Poor farmers will suffer for two months minimum.

These days everybody rushes to Nuwara-eliya to see this rare event. But this is not an enjoyable  event for us. frankly speaking this is a curse for us.

Moreover, the temperature goes down to 4- 5 degrees by 19.00 hrs and continues  till 07.00 hrs next day morning. By 03.00 hrs in the morning, temperature goes down to 0 degree and that is when the due  on plants and flowers starts to freeze.

When the temperature is down like this, the moisture in the air is almost nil. No humidity in the air and our lips, skin, specially the skin of the face where we can not cover get cracked. (Good business for Vaseline and Baby cream producers) Cold sinks into our bones.

Actually this year the situation is really high. We have never experienced continually drop of temperature like this early. usually only a day or two we get this scenario. But this year situation is continuing now for about three weks.

I wish this is the last we see such terrible cold season.