The sacred day of Friday proved more blessed for the residents of Islamabad, where the first shower of the winter season not only ended the prolonged dry spell of cold but also helped people get rid of the viral diseases.
The drizzling started in spells in morning, leading to heavy downpour around 2:00 pm, which continued for an hour, bringing a pleasant change in the weather. The Pakistan Meteorology Department (PMD) predicted scattered rains in the plains and snowfall in the hills in Upper Punjab (Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore and Sargodha divisions), Upper Khyber Pakhtunkwa (Peshawar, Hazara, Malakand and Kohat divisions), Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir for the next 24 hours.
Though the rain decreased the intensity of the cold weather, it multiplied the problems being faced by the residents due to the gas and electricity load-shedding. The cloudy weather provided an opportunity to the people, who were forced to stay indoors due to dry and chilly weather, to visit the coffee shops and other recreational spots.
As the rain stopped, people thronged the public places such as Daman-e-Koh, Pir Sohawa, Lake View Park, Rawal Lake, Shakarparian, and Fatima Jinnah Park (F-9). The cold weather also led to an increased sale of Pakoras, Samosas, Jalebi, chicken corn soup, green tea and coffee in all main markets of the city, including the F-10 Markaz, Aabpara, Super and Jinnah Super Markets.
A visitor to Pir Sohawa expressed his delight on the change in weather, saying that, “I was waiting for it to rain and am glad it did today. I am having a lot of fun.” Sadia, having Pakoras in the Aabpara Market, said, “I am loving the weather, it puts you in a good mood. I plan to go to Murree with my friends shortly as I heard Murree is covered in snow.”
A food vendor at the F-8 Markaz said that Pakoras, Samosas, Jalebis and other food items were selling like hot cakes due to the rainy weather. We were waiting for winter showers and we thank Almighty Allah for His blessings, he added.
However, the rainfall also created traffic problems due to slippery roads and long queues of vehicles were witnessed on the traffic signals. The problems were aggravated by poor visibility.
The rain also created problems for the poor as they tried to hide under shades and beat the cold by burning wood. The security personnel were also seen burning wood to keep warm at all the check posts.
According to a PMD official, the city witnessed the maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius and minimum of 2 degrees Celsius during the day, while more rainfall was expected during the night.
Dr Zulfiqar Ghouri of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) told Pakistan Today that the rain would decrease the air pollution due to which the people were suffering from cough and other lungs diseases. Dr Ghouri said that the rain would have a positive impact on the people suffering from weather-related allergies.
He said that the children should not be allowed to go out side and play with water. He further cautioned that the children’s chests should be covered and warm drinks should be given to them to avoid the chances of pneumonia in the winter season.
The night temperature had dropped to minus 1 degree Celsius during the last three consecutive days in the federal capital. However, the rain which was likely to continue during the next 24 hours, would raise the temperature from 3 to 5 degrees Celsius, said the Met Office.
While scattered rain is expected in Upper Punjab, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir during the next 24 hours, most parts of the country would again experience severe cold after 48 hours, a PMD official said.
The light rain, likely to fall in most parts of the country during next 24 hours, would help clear the fog and decrease chill in the weather, providing relief to people from the dry weather ailments.
