Central, upper parts of K-P receive light to moderate rain turning weather pleasant. PHOTO: REUTERS
Heavy showers, lightening, windstorm, flash floods and landslides were reported from various areas of the division.
According to reports life remained paralysed as public transport remained off the roads and people preferred to stay home rather than risk life and limb.
Many mud houses collapsed in the rain, while tin roofs of many huts, reportedly, flew off in the windstorm.
Like many urban centres, the major towns of Hazara divisiobn were too faced the problem of chocked sewers. The roads were inundated with sewage with the first spell of rain in Abbottabad city. Moreover, the Manserha Road and Murree Road were blocked at several places due to flash floods.
Roads, thoroughfares and other communication links particularly in Kohistan, Battagram and Mansehra and Abbottabad were badly damaged due to flash floods and landslides triggered by the heavy rains.
In Battagram streams broke banks and turned into raging rivers leaving people stranded in their areas as most of the link roads were damaged by torrents flowing down the hills. Fortunately no casualties have been reported so far.
More rains expected
Districts of upper and central K-P received light to moderate rainfall turning the weather pleasant besides providing respite to people from scorching heat. An official of Pakistan Metrological Department Peshawar said that maximum rain was received by Kakul, 27mm, followed by Cherat 23mm, Balakot 12mm, Malam Jabba 7mm, Kurram Agency 6mm, Saidu Sharif, Dir and Peshawar City 2mm respectively.
The official said moist currents from Arabian Sea were entering upper and central parts of the country and westerly wave was affecting most upper and central parts of the country and was likely to persist till Thursday.
As result, more rain with thundershower with gusty winds were expected at scattered places in K-P and Fata during next 24 hours.
Weather turns pleasant
In Peshawar, people came out from homes for enjoying the leasant change in weather. Great rush of buyers were also seen in bazaars and people enjoyed Eid shopping in pleasant weather.
The weather turned pleasant on Wednesday in most parts of K-P after moderate rain in Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, DI Khan divisions and Kurram, Mohmand and Khyber Agencies in Fata.
The farmers termed the present rainfall extremely beneficial for maize and rice crops whereas medical experts declared it extremely beneficial to control seasonal infections including ENT, cough and others diseases.
The Met Office has forecast partly cloudy weather for most parts of the region for next 24 to 48 hours with chances of rain-thunderstorm with gusty winds at scattered places in D.I.Khan, Tank, Kohat, Hangu, Karak, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, Abbottabad, Haripur, Manshera, Battagram, Kohistan, Torghar, Lower and Upper Dir, Chitral, Buner, Malakand, Swat and Shangla districts and Kurram, Khyber, Orakzai, Bajour, Mohmand, South and North Waziristan agencies in FATA.
The weather remained hot and dry in southern districts of the province during last 24 hours with maximum temperature recorded 39C in DI Khan, followed by 37C in Chitral, Bannu, Risalur, Kohat and Peshawar.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2017.
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