GUJRAT: The recent hailstorm has damaged the wheat crop on 750 acres of land and several houses in the Jhelum district.

The wheat crop in at least 10 villages of Sohawa tehsil was completely destroyed by the heavy rain and hailstorm on Tuesday.

Suhawa Tehsildar Suhail Rizwan told Dawn that after receiving initial information about the damage, the field revenue staff was assigned to assess losses to standing crops as well as other properties.

He said wheat on 451 acres was destroyed only in Palawri village, 200 acres in Bara Gawa, and 30 acres in Rani Ga. Moreover, local farmers have called upon the authorities in Punjab and federal governments to take notice of the losses incurred by the hailstorm to their crops and announce compensation for them as it was a huge economic loss to them in the prevailing difficult situation of price hike and unemployment.

Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Rao Pervez Akhtar says that several houses in the rural belt of Jhelum tehsil had also been affected by the hailstorm, however, no human loss was reported.

He said the report on wheat and property losses would be sent to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and senior member of the Board of Revenue.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2021