As Kashmir remains under tight grip of heat wave over the past two weeks, the Meteorological department is of the belief that weather is behaving normally in the Valley and day temperatures can shoot up to 35 degrees Celsius in the in the days ahead.The MeT claim, however, has been countered by the environmentalists who attribute weather change to the cycle that is repeated after every six decade.Director MeT, Sonum Lotus told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that in the month of July and August, the temperature usually remains high and there was nothing new in it. “We have seen a similar kind of temperature in previous years as well,” he said. Lotus said that the rise in the temperature is the outcome of no rainfall in the Valley. “We are predicting a light to moderate rainfall in the coming days. But, there is no possibility of heavy rainfall till next week,” he said, adding that in the present month, the temperature can even go up to 35 degree Celsius, which is normal.Dr. MRD Kundangar, a prominent environmentalist told KNO that he doesn't attribute the current weather conditions with climate change. “In my childhood, I have witnessed such a heat wave as well,” he said.“In my opinion, the prevalent heat wave is only a weather cycle, which is repeated after every 60 years,” he said, adding that people would have come to know about it, but unfortunately, there is no record available in this regard in Jammu and Kashmir.“During the ongoing COVID-19 situation, the carbon dioxide as per the World Health Organizations in the air has also decreased. Therefore, it will not be good to attribute the prevalent weather conditions to climate change,” he added.Prof. Shakeel Romshoo Head Department of Earth Sciences also told KNO that the present weather conditions are not unusual. “The long dry spell in the Valley is a reason behind the current weather conditions. We were witnessing rainfall every evening almost two weeks back. We can’t attribute the present weather conditions with climate change. But the only reason behind it was the convective weather system,” he said.He added at present the weather conditions are not unusual but if it continues for ten more days then it will be a cause of concern—(KNO)