Lull in monsoon in Himachal

Shimla: There is a lull in the southwest monsoon that hit Himachal Pradesh just three days ago and similar conditions will continue till this weekend, a weather official said here Friday.

"Precipitation occurred at a few isolated places in the past two days. With this, the maximum temperatures rose by three to four degrees," an official of the meteorological department told IANS.

However, there was no appreciable change in the minimum temperatures.

The monsoon, which normally hits the state by June 27, reached July 1 this time. On the first two days, most of the areas of the state experienced moderate to heavy rainfall.

The weather bureau said the tourist towns of Narkanda, Kufri, Kalpa, Dharamsala, Palampur and Manali saw no rain in the past two days.

Shimla, a favourite retreat for tourists during summer, saw light to moderate rain Friday evening. There was no rain Thursday.

But picturesque tourist resort Kasauli in Solan district received 20 mm of rain.

Officials of the agriculture department said the erratic rainfall might hit crops, particularly in low and mid hills.

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people in the state, providing direct employment to 69 percent of its workforce.

More than 80 percent horticultural and agricultural activities here are rainfed.