RAWALPINDI: After more than three-and-a-half months, the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad received rain with snowfall in Murree on Thursday.

The rain came as a blessing for people, especially farmers in the Potohar region, as it ended the drought-like conditions.

However, the rain turned main roads in Rawalpindi into rivulets creating hardship for the residents of low-lying areas, especially where road repair work and laying of Sui gas pipelines were underway.

The rain started in the wee hours of Thursday and continuedintermittently till 11am.

The Met Office recorded 70mm rain at Golra, 43mm at Bokra, 32mm at Zero Point.

11mm at Islamabad International Airport and 10mm at Saidpur in Islamabad; 29mm at Chaklala, 22mm at Kutchery and 26mm at Shamsabad. Murree and adjoining areas received three inches of snow.

The Met Office predicted a cold and dry weather for the next 24 hours in most parts of the country. However, partly cloudy weather with rain and windstorm with light snow over hills was likely in Balochistan till Friday evening. It stated that partly cloudy weather with drizzles may occur at few places in the coastal areas of Sindh. Shallow to moderate fog is likely to persist in northeast Punjab during morning hours.

An official of Met Office said that eight degrees Celsius temperature was recorded in Rawalpindi and Islamabad; however, it will drop further in coming days. He said there were chances of a spell of rain by theend of the week.

On the other hand, most of the residents opted to stay indoors in order to avoid mud and rainwater in the streets and roads of the garrison city, especially where construction work on roads was underway. Due to the dry spell in Potohar region, the water storage at Khanpur and Rawal dams had reduced. The rain increased the water level in the dams.

Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Managing Director Mohammad Saleem Ashraf told Dawn that the water level had reduced due to the dry weather and only 45 days` water was left in the Rawal Dam before the rain.

He said that the rain on Thursday increased the water level.

`Rawal Dam reservoir has maximum capacity of 1755 feet water conservation while after rain it has 1744 feet and it is enough to meet water requirement for next 90 days,` he said.

He said that there were chances of more rain in the current week which would increase the water level further, adding, `We wouldbe able to meet the water requirement till next monsoon.

He said that the water level in Leh Nullah remained normal but Wasa was on high alert. Staff is in the field with heavy machinery.

He said Wasa teams were deployed in low-lying areas to drain rainwater with heavy machinery. However, there was no report of standing water at any location.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Punjab Agriculture Department said the rain had an excellent impact on standing crops, particularly wheat. The effects of the rain are expected to significantly increase wheat production in the province, especially in arid agriculture areas of Potohar.

The spokesperson stated that almost all regions of Punjab had benefited from the rain.

`The rainfall has been particularly beneficial for crops in rainfed areas. Additionally, the rain has provided atmospheric nitrogen to the crops. The wheat crop has now entered the booting stage and atthis phase rainfallis highly beneficial for its growth.