LAHORE, Jan 12: Early clearance of fog on Sunday was a relief for the cold-stricken Lahorites who braved the foggy weather for well over a week.

They thronged gardens and parks to enjoy the mild warmth of sunshine after several days of fog and freezing weather.

The gardens and parks in the provincial metropolis remained almost deserted during the past few days because most of the people preferred to stay indoors due to the absence of sunshine and extremely cold weather. Only a handful of the people dared to brave the weather for visiting the gardens and parks.

The entrance fee collection contractor of the Gulshan-i-Iqbal said that only about 10 per cent of the people visited the park during the past few days due to fog and freezing cold. The daily income of the park slid below Rs2,000 from an average Rs15,000 due to the absence of sunshine and extremely cold weather.

The income of Lahore Zoo, Rcecourse Park, Sozo Water Park and Model Town parks also reduced substantially due to a sharp decline in the number of visitors during the past few foggy days.

According to the Met office, the clear weather could only increase the day’s maximum temperature a little. It was 13.2 degrees C against Saturday’s 12 degrees C. The minimum temperature was 5 degrees C. The Met office said it required more clear and sunny days to warm up the city.

Fog that covered the city at 6:30am and reduced the visibility to 400 metres at 7am finally started clearing at 9am.

The Met office predicted that it would remain dry and cold with fog or mist in the morning in Lahore on Monday.

It also reported fog in several other cities in the Punjab, including Faisalabad, Sargodha, Multan, Jhelum, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura.

There were no chances of rain anywhere in the country during the next 24 hours.

The minimum temperature in Kalam was -12 degrees C, Skardu -10, Parachinar -9, Astore -6, Chitral -4, Dir and Quetta -3, and Dera Ismail Khan and Malam Jabba -1 degree C.

Reduced gas supply: Reduced gas supply and repeated power breakdowns caused a great deal of inconvenience to residents of several localities.

The Walled City and the localities around it were the most affected where the reduced gas supply made it hard to even cook food.

Power breakdowns also led to the closure of tubewells to avoid a damage to their motors, suspending water supply almost the entire day.