RAWALPINDI, Feb 3: Residents of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad experienced chilly weather on Friday as drizzle accompanied by cold wind dropped the mercury level.

The light rain started in the morning at about 8am and continued till 7pm.

Met Office predicted rain of light to moderate intensity for next 24 to 48 hours. It said a westerly wave of moderate intensity, presently giving rains over Iran and Afghanistan, entered Pakistan.

Under the influence of this weather system, a good winter rain and snowfall are expected in different parts of the country during next two to three days.

The weathermen said that the chill in air would increase in the twin cities due to rain. However, they ruled out snowfall at Margalla hills. Gajjar Halwa Jalabee

With cold wave, winter delights like fish, , and others were in high demand.

On the other hand, the rain affected daily work of cart pushers, vendors and labourers at fruit and vegetable markets of I-11 and Raja Bazaar.

Some people were seen taking shelter under the sheds in wait for the work. “I came early in the morning but could not find any work,” said Mohammad Imtiaz at Raja Bazaar. He said it was difficult to find work on a rainy day.

Suhail Masih, a labourer at I-11 Sabzi Mandi said he unloaded bags of wheat flour and sugar from truck and carried them to the godown but the owner did not allow unloading the truck as the rain would spoil wheat flour and sugar.

He said rain always brought bad news for them as it spoiled the daily earning. He said he collected some vegetables from the trash to feed his children.

He said sometimes he found some better vegetables from garbage lying outside the whole sale shops.

Traders and shopkeepers also complained of low turn-out of customers during rain. Saddar – a commercial hub of the cantonment area – was giving a deserted look.

Road users especially pedestrians had to face problems due to the accumulated rain water on the roads and in the streets particularly in the low-lying areas.

The situation was worse at roads and streets dug up for laying waterlines, sewers or other utility services.