Afternoon downpour not enough to lift gloom of water rationing

PETALING JAYA: It poured but it was not enough to lift the gloom of water rationing for many Klang Valley folk.

There was only a brief respite from the heat for residents as it rained in Bangsar, Damansara, Puchong, Cheras and Klang.

Children were seen splashing around in the rain, adults cleaned their cars with the rain water and others simply watched the raindrops, hoping it would never stop.

Sadly, it did come to an end – about 30 to 40 minutes after it poured in the late afternoon.

Jalan Klang Lama resident Linda Lim said the unexpected thunderstorm was “heaven sent”.

“My prayers were answered. I was just asking my cousin and then the skies opened up,” she added.

Netizens also took to Twitter to rejoice over the rainfall.

@missyblurkit wrote that her rain dance had worked. “It’s really raining!” She posted a picture of the downpour taken from inside her car.

The Meteological Department said the rains did not necessarily mark the end of the prolonged dry spell.

“These are normal showers and thunderstorms,” said department forecast director Muhammad Helmi Abdullah.

He said the lack of suitable cloud cover over or near dam and catchment areas prevented cloud seeding.

“The atmospheric condition had not been conducive,” he pointed out.