LARKANA: A two-hour-long spell of heavy rain, followed by intermittent showers, lashed Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts on Tuesday causing considerable relief in the otherwise very hot weather conditions that prevailed over the past few weeks.

Low-lying areas in both districts were submerged and commuters and pedestrians faced great hardship in moving from one place to another. The Met office recorded 16mm rainfall in most areas of the two districts with humidity (or amount of moisture in the air) being at 85 per cent.

Skies remained heavily overcast even after the rainfall and the Met office forecast chances of more rain in the next 24 hours.

Moenjodaro received light showers while heavy rain was reported from Naudero, Qambar, Shahdadkot, Ratodero and many other towns.

Sukkur and Khairpur district received the first spell of light rain on Tuesday in the ongoing monsoon. Reports of rainfall were received from several other cities and towns including Rohri, Kandhra, Bachal Shah Miani, Bagarji and Dreha in Sukkur district and Khairpur (city), Kingri, Gambat, Nara and Ranipur in Khairpur district.

The rainfall, which continued for more than an hour starting in the second half of the day, broke the months-long heatwave during which both the districts experienced some of the hottest days of summer.

Although weather turned pleasant during and after the rainfall, it caused massive electricity breakdown as at least 50 11kV feeders of the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) in Sukkur and 20 11kV feeders in Khairpur, Shikarpur and Larkana got tripped.

The breakdown also affected transmission of Radio Pakistan, Khairpur station, which went off the air.

The situation could not be fully normalised till late in the evening. A Sepco spokesman claimed that 20 of the 70 feeders had been re-energised and work was under way to revive others.

Standing cotton crop on hundreds of acres and at least 10 thatched houses were washed away by flooding that followed a 30-foot-wide breach in the dyke of Kandiar Wah (canal) near Bangul Bozdar village near Khanpur Mahar district of Ghotki on Tuesday.

Growers in Khairpur feared that the rainfall at this stage might affect cotton crop and date palm orchards.

Most parts of Tharparkar district, including Mithi, Kaloi, Diplo, Dano Dandhal and Nagarparkar received moderate to light rain on the fifth consecutive day, Tuesday.

The electricity and communication networks badly affected over the past few day remained crippled. It was raining in some areas of Tharparkar and Badin districts when last reports came in late in the evening.

The downpour over the last few days has already destroyed cotton, tomato, chilli and other crops in the desert region.

Two brothers electrocuted

Two brothers were electrocuted at their Pathan Colony house in Matli town while trying to repair the motor of their water pump. They were identified as Abdul Manan Pathan, 30, and Abdul Rasheed.

Mirpurkhas district also received light rain for a third consecutive day, Tuesday. It started raining in the early hours and continued intermittently for a couple of hours.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2017