August 10, 2002	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 30,1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: It rained heavily in the twin cities on Friday.

The Pakistan Meteorological Office recorded 78mm of rainfall in Islamabad and 72mm in Rawalpindi from 4am to 12 noon.

According to the Met office, the intensity of monsoon is likely to increase in the coming days.

Nullah Lah, another indicator of heavy rainfall in the twin cities, rose to a dangerous 20-foot level, forcing the Rawalpindi administration to blow sirens to warn the people living in the vicinity of Nullah of the possibility of a situation like that on July 23, 2001, when the Nullah wreaked havoc on the localities nearby.

However, water level attained normality when it stopped raining.

The Met office also added that rain had also caused a significant dip in the mercury level, with the twin cities recording a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius on Friday.

The delayed arrival of monsoon has been attributed to sudden emergence of El Nino weather phenomenon over the subcontinent. The Met office is hopeful about normal monsoon rainfall of 135.5mm in the country this year.

A REPORTER ADDS FROM RAWALPINDI: Sirens blared in the areas threatened by Nullah Lah at 8:30am. Civil defence and other voluntary workers and armymen were present in those areas to meet any emergent situation.

The people panicked and came out of their houses in the torrential downpour when the ill-planned sewerage system got choked inundating the streets in Javed Colony, Muslim Colony, Aria Muhallah, Chamanzar Colony, Muhallah Ferozpura, Amarpura, Mukka Singh, Umar Road and Dhok Elahi Bakhsh.