According to a Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) official,
the weather system is likely to persist for two to three days and will cause
scattered rains with snowfall on the hills in Islamabad, Rawalpindi,
Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, D.G.Khan divisions.
PMD official while talking to this scribe
said that scattered rain with snowfall on the hills expected in Punjab
(Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Multan, DG
Khan divisions), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Kohat, DI Khan
divisions), Balochistan (Quetta, Zhob, Qalat, Sibi divisions), Gilgit-Baltistan
and Kashmir in next 24 hours.
The official said Rawalpindi received 21 millimeters
of rain, Kotli 19, Rawlakot 17, Islamabad 16, Pattan Malamjabba and Murree 15,
Parachinar 14, Muzaffarabad and Sialkot 13, Dir, Kalam, Risalpur and Chirat 12,
Quetta, Pattan and Peshawar received 10 millimeters of rain while Kalam and
Murree received 6 inches snowfall. The twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi
are in the grip of cold wave due to the current rain spell that started on
Saturday. The rain further dropped the mercury in the federal capital as the
temperature on Sunday surpassed the freezing point and was recorded at -2
degree Celsius.
The rain washed the roads and streets gave a
new look to the city. However, the rainwater accumulated on 7th and 9th
avenues, H-9 Service Road, IJ Principal Road and roads in I-9 and I-10 sectors.
The rainwater on roads created problems for motorists and pedestrians. The rain
created traffic problems the city due to poor visibility as long queues of
vehicles were witnessed on the busy roads. The security personnel at almost all
the check posts were seen sitting around bonfire to ward off cold while
majority of them were holding umbrellas and wearing rain coats.
The commuters in the city faced trouble as
there were only a few cabs on the road. Traffic was also very thin while a few
shoppers ventured to visit most of the malls, shopping centres and markets.
At the weekly Sunday bazaars held at H-9, G-6
and G-10 under the Capital Development Authority (CDA) witnessed low attendance
of shoppers because of the rain and freezing cold.
However, the heavy rain helped the people get
rid of various diseases including flue, cough, bad throat, chest infection and
skin related problems.
Polyclinic Hospital’s Dr Sharif Astori told
Pakistan Today that the recent rainfall would decrease the air pollution due to
which the people were suffering from cough and other diseases of lungs.
They instructed that the children should not
be allowed to go outside the house and play with water during winter.
He said about 100 patients used to visit
hospitals daily, before the rain, in the twin cities but the number of patients
suffering from dust allergy, skin problems, and flu, throat, and chest
infections was considerably reduced after the rainfall. “Of these, three in every five suffer from
seasonal infections - upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia or
bronchitis,” he said. PMD forecasted scattered rain with snowfall over
the hills is also expected in Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and adjoining areas
during next 24 hours.
“Under the influence of the prevailing weather system, southern Punjab
received first rain of the winter season after prolonged dry weather
conditions,”
the weatherman informed. However, the
official said cold winds have entered northern Balochistan, which are likely to
cause scattered rain and snowfall over hill during next 24 hours. The lowest
minimum temperature was -13 C recorded in Skardu and -11 in Parachinar. Minimum
temperatures in other cities were Islamabad -1 C, Lahore 2 C, Quetta -4 C,
Karachi 11 C, Peshawar 1 C, Muzaffarabad 1 C, Gilgit -3 C, Murree -3 C, Multan
4 C and Faisalabad 3 C.
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