Weather turns pleasant after rainfall across country

Farmers say downpour is beneficial for the wheat crop.

RAWALPINDI/ PESHAWAR/ LAHORE:

The sporadic spell of rain turned the weather pleasant in several cities across the country on Thursday. The much awaited downpour has not only lowered temperatures but also said to have a positive impact especially on the wheat crop yield in Potohar region with city administrator expecting it would also improve water levels at Rawal and Khanpur Dams.

According to the MET office, four millimetres of rainfall was recorded in Rawalpindi and three millimetres in Islamabad with a sharp drop in temperature in the twin cities.

The farmers in the region said that the much needed downpour would be beneficial for wheat and other crops. “At the time of sowing the soil had less moisture and it was feared if required rain did not come in time the crop would not be as healthy owing to the dry spell,” said Waleed Massod, a farmer.

Deputy District Officer Agriculture Jaffar Imran termed the rainfall a rescue for wheat crop in the Potohar region, where farming mainly relies on rainfall.

Similarly the officials of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Rawalpindi said the downpour was expected to improve the water level at Rawal and Khanpur Dams with a recharge of underground water bed if the rainfall continued

Temperatures drop in Lahore

Rainfall in Lahore, which started around 10am on Thursday, continued throughout the day. According to MET officials 15.7mm of rain was recorded in the city by 8pm on Thursday, while temperatures dropped to a minimum of 8.0 C minimum. MET Director Sahab Zada Khan told The Express Tribune that the spell of rain would continue for another 48 hours.

In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Like other parts of the country, rain across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and tribal areas continued throughout the day on Thursday bringing life to a halt.

The prolonged spell caused traffic jams along almost all major arteries in the province, leaving large number of hapless commuters stranded because of overflowing roads.

As rain continued, two mishaps were reported in Peshawar; however, there was no loss of life. The persisting spell in various parts of the province turned the weather chilly but the gushing water on the streets forced traders to close their shops in Peshawar. While rain kept peppering the various parts of the province, South Waziristan received its first snowfall of the season.

Karachi downpour

Heavy rainfall lashed Karachi during the early hours of Thursday morning, according to weather officials 18mm of rain was recorded in the metropolis.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2012.