LAHORE, July 31: Little rain with burning sun and sultry weather dominated most parts of July, the first month of monsoon in most cities in Pakistan. In Lahore, the total rainfall was 60mm as against the average of 202mm of the month.

Repeated power breakdowns, especially on Sundays, and the resultant suspension of water supply added to the miseries of the people who had been given the news of above normal rains this season by the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

Wednesday, the last day of the month, passed without any rain despite a cloudy weather. However, clouds kept the temperatures low and made it possible to roam about in the city with comparatively less hassle.

Interestingly, the northern areas and cities like Rawalpindi had enough rain during the month not because of any monsoon system but of active westerly waves.

The country has been having below average monsoon rains during the past three years, with each year having an average of 500mm of rain.

But there were above normal rains from 1996 to 1978. Lahore received 1,188mm of rain in 1996, 1,100 in 1997 and 900mm in 1998.

Chief Meteorologist Shaukat Ali Awan hopes that the country would have adequate monsoon rains during August and September. “We take monsoon season as a single unit of July, August and September and do hope that the rain during the remaining part of the season would compensate the current situation,” he says.

He said so far westerly waves had been dominating the weather conditions in Pakistan. They gave around 100mm of rain in Balakot, in 50mm Sargodha and 96mm in Garhi Dupatta in a single day.

He said the mountainous region like Jhelum and north and Mianwali and north received frequent spells of rain because of the westerly systems which retarded the monsoon current.

According to Mr Awan so far Bangladesh, northeast India and Nepal had been the focus of the monsoons. In Pakistan, the westerly waves dominated the weather conditions. But it was not the only country which received less rains as adjoining Afghanistan, Iran and northwest India too braved the same weather conditions.

He said normally monsoon rains in Pakistan occurred because of strong low pressures or depression originating at the Bay of Bengal. But so far there has been not a single depression or low pressure and even Bangladesh has been receiving rains without any depression or cyclone.

When asked about the meteorological department’s forecast of above normal rainfall this season, Mr Awan said this was made according to the seasonal parameters and patterns but some global factors suppressed these factors.

One of them was the more pronounced effect of the el nino activity in the Pacific Ocean which has dampened the rainfall, he said.