UMERKOT, Sept 5: One old woman and a youth died in a rain-related incident as parts of Sindh received mild to heavy rains on Wednesday.

Umerkot received moderate rains on the third consecutive day. Strong winds uprooted trees and electricity poles, affecting the power supply.

The rains started on Monday evening with a heavy dust storm that continued on Wednesday for one hour.

A grower of Pithoro, Mumtaz Arisar, said the rains had affected cotton picking and damaged chillies crop.

SDO Imtiaz Ahmed Memon of Hesco sub-division Umerkot told Dawn that over 76 poles uprooted in the rains in Dhoronaro had been rehabilitated and power in some villages restored. But a main pole of 66kv line supplying power to Pithoro grid station would be rehabilitated in 12 hours.

Heavy rains hit twin towns of Thatta and Makli and coastal towns Mirpur Sakhro, Ghorabari and Jati, Mirpur Bathoro, Sujawal, Jhoke Sharif, Bannu and Laiqpur in the morning.

In Thatta, an old woman, Nooran Baloch, was killed when the roof of her small room collapsed in ward-3 in the morning.

Traffic on the National Highway between Thatta and Hyderabad remained suspended for over an hour when hill torrents from both sides of main Nai Baran overtopped the highway at various places from Hameed agricultural farm to Jherruk site.

Hundreds of buses, trucks, cars, vans, motorbikes and other vehicles remained stranded waiting for receding of rainwater coming from Khirthar range of mountains.

Crops of sugarcane and paddy were submerged under water. Growers said that if rainwater did not remain stagnant, it would benefit some short-duration crops in the area.

Villagers of Kohistan were happy because the rains filled wells and people believe that overfilling of wells and ditches would help decline graph of growing hyper salinity and brackishness of underground water in hilly areas.

In Sanghar, moderate to heavy rains were recorded. A young man died on Tuesday night when his katcha house collapsed in strong winds near Maqsoodo Rind.

Rains started early in the morning in Sanghar, Tando Adam, Khipro, Sinjhoro, Shahdadpur, Shahpur Chakar, Khadro, Jhol, Jam Nawaz Ali and other adjoining towns and continued intermittently till filing of this report.

Again rains lashed Sanghar and adjoining towns of Sinjhoro, Gujri, Rawtiani at 6pm for 40 minutes.

Rains with thunderstorm lashed parts of Mirpurkhas, inundating low-lying areas.

The shower continued for one hour and water accumulated at main roads and in the streets. Suspension of power supply forced shopkeepers to close bazaars and markets.

A number of trees and signboards were uprooted in different towns. Youths and children enjoyed rains in streets and on roads.

Met office recorded 20mm of rains and did not rule out chances of more rainfall.

Rainwater entered shops, forcing traders to close business.

Press secretary of the Sindh Abadgar Board, Syed Ali Mohammed Shah, said that at least 25pc of standing crop of cotton in various parts of the district was damaged and rain destroyed vegetables.

Badin city and its adjoining areas received heavy rains which began at 1pm and continued for one hour.

It was the second spell of the recent monsoon rains. The rains also lashed towns of the district, increasing water level in waterways.