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HYDERABAD, Dec 4: The first rains of winter, which started pouring down from Saturday, have paralysed normal life causing disruption in water and power supply and clogging drains in many parts of the province.
The rains continued lashing Hyderabad and its adjoining areas on Monday dropping the mercury to 14 degree Celsius.
People again had to wade through slime and slush on the roads, made worse by ongoing sewerage and drainage work on different roads after rainwater filled the dug-up roads.
Attendance of employees in government offices and courts and school children remained thin for want of transport. The rainwater led to traffic jams at Kohinoor Chowk and railway crossing in Unit-7 of Latifabad where the first flyover of the city was under construction and a section of the dual road had to be closed for work.
People faced electricity breakdown on Sunday night, plunging a large part of the city into darkness. Hesco officials blamed rains for tripping, breaking and sparking of conductors which they said had caused power suspension.
The power outage caused water shortage in residential complexes, offices and civil hospitals forcing hospitals to get taluka municipal administrations arrange water tankers for them.
Hesco officials on Monday evening told Dawn that some feeders in Dadu, Thatta, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Khairpur were in the process of restoration. "The feeders were closed in the morning while those in other parts of lower and interior Sindh that did not get power supply since Sunday night have now been restored," he said. The airport's meteorological office has forecast rains with thunderstorm at a few places in Sindh in the next 24 hours. The maximum humidity in the air was recorded at 100 per cent, the met office added.
There were no reports of any casualty from any part of the district.
BADIN: The weather became intensely cold after light rain and intermittent drizzling on Monday. The first winter rain followed by strong winds forced the people to stay indoors and caused a drop in attendance in educational institutions as well as in government offices.
MIRPURKHAS: Intermittent rain followed by cold wave in Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and Tharparkar, which started on Saturday continued on Monday. The rains followed power outage, which in turn led to disruption in water supply.
The sudden cold sent people rushing for second hand warm clothes.
KHAIRPUR: Rains continued on the second consecutive day on Monday and caused shortage of vegetables in the city. Attendance in government offices and schools remained thin.
NAWABSHAH: The city and its surrounding areas received rains on Monday sending the temperature down to 15 degrees centigrade.
Rainwater accumulated on roads and streets badly affected business activities. It caused electricity suspension in almost all the areas and rendered some telephone lines out of order.
Meteorological office informed that 11 mm rain was recorded till 2pm on Monday.
DADU: Rains lashed different parts of Dadu and Jamshoro districts on Monday leading to a drop in attendance in government offices and schools.
SUKKUR: The city remained plunged into darkness for over 15 hours after torrential rains started lashing the Upper Sindh on Saturday.
The first winter rainfall, which started on Saturday night in Sukkur, Rohri, Pano Akil, Ghotki, Mirpur Mathelo, Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Kandhkot, Kashmore, Thull and several other parts of the province, caused power outage four hours and choked drainage system.
