Rain eases off after heavy spell

Islamabad : After lashing Islamabad and Rawalpindi for 24 hours, rains eased off on Thursday afternoon.

The Met Office recorded 34 millimetres rainfall in Islamabad's Zero Point area, 29mm in Saidpur, 28mm in Golra, 27mm in New Airport and 24mm in Bokra, while 28mm and 12mm rain fell in Rawalpindi's Shamsabad and Chaklala areas, respectively.

The rainy spell caused by a westerly wave had begun on Wednesday evening and last until early hours of Thursday.

It continued afterward intermittently until Thursday evening causing temperatures to drop. The rainfall left slushy mess and puddles on roads due to poor drainage inconveniencing motorists and commuters. It threw traffic out of gear on busy roads, especially Benazir Bhutto Road, IJP Road and the Mall, in the morning, afternoon and evening, the school and office opening and closing time, respectively.

Amid honking of horns by others, some motorists entered wrong lanes in order to make their way through traffic to destinations and thus, worsening the gridlock.

There're tailbacks at many places with the traffic cops struggling to regulate the movement of vehicles.