LAHORE, July 26: An hour-long spell of intense rain brought relief to the people of provincial metropolis who had been braving humid weather earlier on Saturday. It also turned city’s streets and roads into rivulets and ponds.

The rain began to fall at 11.40am. Most localities and busy roads, like The Mall, Ferozepur Road, Lawrence Road, Multan Road, Abbott Road and McLeod Road, were inundated for better part of the day In less than an hour.

The traffic remained paralysed for several hours on major roads. Commuters faced a great deal of difficulty in reaching their destinations as public transport either vanished from roads or moved at snail’s pace because of the traffic blockades.

However, no loss of life was reported. It may be recalled here that the first heavy spell of monsoon rains killed two persons in the city on July 17 while a girl died in a house collapse in the second on Thursday.

The inundation of major roads and most areas of the city is often blamed by the district authorities on the miserably inadequate sewerage system and drainage.

The meteorological office recorded 16mm of rain in the city and 12mm at the airport.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 36 degrees Celsius and the minimum at 30.5. On Friday, the maximum had been 36.5 degrees while the minimum was 24.8.

According to the meteorological office, some other cities of the province also received showers. Sialkot had received 29mm of rain, Jhelum 2mm, and Faisalabad 1mm by the time this report was filed.

The meteorological office forecast a partly cloudy day on Sunday with chances of thunderstorm and rain in the provincial capital.