01 May 2004	Saturday	10 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, April 30: Unprecedented rain on Friday damaged wheat crop in most parts of Punjab and disrupted civic life in the Frontier province.

The Punjab agriculture department ordered a survey to assess the damage to the wheat crop ripe for harvesting after the unusual spell of rain in Punjab, the NWFP, Northern Areas and Kashmir.

Sources in the department said the damage could be substantial, putting further pressure on the already scant food reserves in the country. They said the rain could also hurt other important crops like sunflower and gram.

The worst-hit area in Punjab was Sialkot where 41.7mm rain was reported till 3pm on Friday and the rain continued till the evening. Other areas in the province where the wheat crops have been damaged include Mandi Bahauddin, 66mm, Jehlum, 69mm, Faisalabad, 28mm, Sargodha, 22mm, Jhang, 43mm and Lahore, 39mm. Rain and strong winds were also reported from Narowal, Shakargarh, Zafarwal, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sahiwal, Okara and surrounding areas.

Murree received 72mm, Rawalpindi 52mm, Islamabad 46mm, Chakwal 45mm, Mianwali 51mm and Attock 55mm. In the NWFP, Abbottabad received 43mm of rain followed by Risalpur 8mm, Peshawar, 26mm and Malamjabba, 32mm.

In Kashmir, heavy rain was reported from Rawalakot where 75mm was recorded, followed by Kotli 42mm and Muzaffarabad 37mm. Thunderstorm caused damage to property as cattlehead perished because of lightning and trees were uprooted. A few cases of roof collapse were also reported with people suffering injuries. There were repeated and prolonged power breakdowns in different parts of the country, including major cities.

In Lahore, 14 people received varying degrees of injuries in rain-related accidents. Heavy rain also led to major traffic jams in the city as many roads were inundated.

In Peshawar, a heavy downpour caused serious civic problems as the city's sewerage system failed to take the burden and major roads and streets were flooded causing traffic jams.

There were reports of snowfall from Thandiani, Nathiagali, Ayubia, Naran and Shogran. However, the Met office in Islamabad had no record of snowfall during the current spell. Met office sources said Friday was the third day of the spell and predicted more rains over the next 24 hours in upper Punjab, upper NWFP, Kashmir, Islamabad and adjoining areas.

They said the wet spell, which is likely to subside on Saturday, brought the temperature down in most areas. The minimum temperature in Islamabad was recorded at 13 degrees Centigrade with maximum at 16. Lasbella was the hottest place in the country on Friday with temperature touching 40 degrees.