Rains disrupt life, causes biting cold

Our correspondent

Islamabad :The persistent rainfall disrupted life in Islamabad and Rawalpindi on Monday causing flooded roads and streets, traffic jams, and power outages. A cold wave also swept through the twin cities as the rain fell from Sunday night to Monday night.

It said the rain would stop on Tuesday morning but would cause fog in plain areas of Punjab and Sindh during night and morning hours. The heavy rain threw traffic out of gear. Work on some roads contributed to the traffic mess.

Traffic moved at a snail's pace on major roads, especially in Rawalpindi, in the morning, afternoon and evening, the school and office opening and closing time, respectively. Many roads and streets, especially in low-lying areas, faced water-logging. The rainstorm uprooted trees and pulled down walls and signboards at many places. However, no damage to public life or property was reported.

Many motorcyclists were seen pull over under trees and bridges for cover, while many automobiles broke down on waterlogged roads and thus, causing traffic jams. There're tailbacks at many places with the traffic cops struggling to regulate the movement of vehicles.

Things were the worst at the arteries near Faizabad intersection. 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.

Many blamed the situation on the mismanagement of the traffic police, while some maintained that a good number of motorists didn’t have road sense, while others didn’t use it especially during rush hours. There were also complaints about traffic lights going out of order at major intersections during rainy days.