More rains cool Himachal

Temperatures across Himachal Pradesh fell sharply and people got relief from the heat on Friday following widespread rains, which also quelled the raging forest fires.

Ghumarwin town recorded the highest rainfall of 110 mm.

"The entire state witnessed moderate to heavy rains, with temperatures plummeting sharply," an official of the meteorological office told IANS.

He said a fresh western disturbance was likely in the region on May 9, bringing more showers.

Shimla town recorded 18.6 mm of rain while the picturesque tourist resorts of Dharamsala, Palampur and Manali saw 39.4 mm, 17.8 mm and 7 mm of rain respectively.

Shimla recorded a maximum temperature of 19.6 degrees Celsius, a fall by 3.7 degrees from Thursday's. The night temperature was 10.3 degrees.

Sundernagar in Mandi district saw a high of 30.9 degrees Celsius, while it was 20.2 degrees in Kalpa in Kinnaur district and 28.4 degrees in Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama lives.

The widespread rains have doused the numerous forest fires in the state.

"All major fires have been quelled," Principal Chief Conservator of Forests S.P. Vasudeva told IANS.

He said over 5,000 hectares of forests have been destroyed this year.

According to him, Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, Sirmaur, Solan, Mandi and Shimla were the worst affected districts.

--IANS

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