A STRONG downpour on Wednesday (July 22), afternoon lasting barely fifteen minutes brought big relief to the denizens of Millennium city, Gurgaon. Though it rained a little but it managed to bring down humidity by few percentages, while temperature also dipped for the good.

The sky is still overcast and pregnant clouds are hovering over the city making people pray to the rain gods to deliver at least this time.

The rain began at around 2.30 pm much to the pleasant surprise of Gurgaonites, who have been looking to the sky for past several days. In DLF phase one, office goers, shopkeepers and customers were delighted to see heavens opening up.

People preferred to stand in courtyards of markets and shopping malls to enjoy the raindrops, which brought freedom from the stifling humidity that has singed people in the past weeks.

Satyender Kumar, a Gurgaon resident, who took shelter at DT mall to save himself from getting wet thanked god for the rain, though he said it was much too less to make a big difference. “I thank heavens for bringing relief but it will be too less. I hope the clouds in sky do not fail this time and it rains for few hours”.

Gurgaon has been reeling under heat and humidity for several weeks as the monsoon rains have failed make an impact in the area. The poor power situation and dwindling water table has added to the woes of local residents.

The clouds in sky, however, give us hope that all is not lost and more rains will ensure that crops do not fail and water table is compensated to an extent, said Ajay Rana, who owns a farm near Gurgaon. “The morning today was hot as ever and we had little hope that rain will come but the downpour, little it may be has brought relief”, he added.

Trees in the parks and on the roadsides also shined as water washed the dust down and leaves once again looked green. The rain brought a fresh lease of life for the parched lawns, which were being fed with ground water and municipal supply.

The downpour also brought in its train the usual problems with water logging being seen on many roads. Potholes became quite evident on the roads as mud was washed away and vehicles failed to negotiate the invisible obstacles.

Rakesh Gupta, a local trader, however, said that roads are being constructed at a rapid pace and hoped that these minor issues will be over soon.