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Excessive heat and unusually high temperatures in May have caused significant damage to various hybrid flower species at Jakhani Park in Udhampur.
Speaking to ANI, Assistant Floriculture Officer Pawan Kumar stated that the park is strategically located along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway and serves as a major attraction for a large number of tourists travelling toward Patnitop, Srinagar, and other popular destinations across Jammu and Kashmir. The department puts consistent effort into maintaining the park and cultivating diverse flower varieties to attract these visitors. "Many tourists who visit Patnitop or other tourist spots pass through here, so many people come here and appreciate this park a lot. Our staff is continuously working hard to maintain it well. The annuals we plant, the seasonal annuals we plant every time, we had planted them here too, and their bloom was very good," he said. He added that these newly planted hybrid flowers and varieties typically bloom until the end of May. However, the extreme heat wave experienced this season has made it difficult for the flowers to survive the rising temperatures. "For the past few days, the heat has been increasing significantly, and the impact of the heat is naturally falling on these flowers too. These flowers, which used to last until the end of May, are drying up a bit early due to the heat. After 15-20 days, we will transplant new seasonal seedlings. Our staff is working hard to maintain this park. To protect them from the heat, we do a lot of irrigation for the flower beds in the evening. So we are trying to extend our bloom for a longer span so that the tourists who come here can see a nice bloom," he said. Despite the challenging weather conditions, park management is working hard to minimise the impact by regularly watering the remaining flowers and plants to prevent further damage and preserve the beauty of the park. He said, "Because flowers are very delicate, they are quite fragile. So when the heat increases, it does affect the flowers. As I mentioned earlier, this bloom used to last until the end of May, but as the heat is rising suddenly, it's naturally affecting the flowers, no matter how much we irrigate them." (ANI)
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