After more than 48 hours of continual rain, Peshawar received a faint streak of sunlight, peeking at the citizens through the gray clouds that still cover most part of the sky. A delayed winter has, via this episode of rainfall (and snowfall in some parts of the country), finally started to show its essence in the country.

Yesterday, the meteorological office recorded 7 mm of rain in Peshawar, which made many people confined to homes or leave early for homes in the evening due to the increase in cold as the temperature dropped to nearly 10 degrees Celsius. Snowfalls continued in the northern areas of the country, including upper Swat, and like other winters, transportation to these areas has been cut off due to the snow-covered roads and terrains.

A number of problems come into play throughout the country with rainfall and increasing cold. An important one of these is the problem of mobility, especially for pedestrians along roads and streets that are filled with mud; and puddles appearing every few meters along the roads. One also has to be very careful in saving oneself and one’s clothes from the splash of water and mud raised by the passing vehicles.

Another trouble is that of the gas used for heating homes and water etc. In cold weather, the pressure of gas drops to a level where it is unavailable to most offices, homes, and other buildings, especially in the morning. Due to the high prices of electricity and also its unavailability, few people can afford to run electric heaters for warming.

In the rural areas, however, people enjoy cozying around the traditional fireplace called ‘Angheeti’ that is fueled with wood and embers. The sad part of this facility, of course, is that trees are cut for using the wood as fuel and there are no environmental-protection bodies to stop deforestation.

On the whole, however, the rural areas of Hangu and Kohat etc. are still green and people of the same family in these areas do not need to set up a warming facility in each room. Rather, they gather in a large ‘family room’ where the Angheeti’ warms them up till they retire to their rooms.

For Peshawar, the weather in the next few days is expected to remain sunny, unless of course the unexpected takes lead. A brief shower is expected, as forecasted by the BBC weather forecast service. On a side note, umbrellas are selling again in the city and taxi/rickshaw drivers are making more since the omnibuses are already overloaded with passengers.