Agra has first monsoon showers, plunges in darkness

Agra: The long-awaited monsoon showers which finally hit the Taj city on Thursday evening and brought down the temperature by nine degrees Celsius, also spelt a major power break-down that plunged the whole city into darkness.

Agra recorded a rainfall of 9.8 mm on Thursday night, which pushed the humidity to 100 per cent, according to weather office.

"We were expecting rains since morning but it was not until around six in the evening that the downpour begun.

However, the power break down was a big let down," said Sudhier Gupta of Vijay Nagar colony in Agra.

While farmers in Fatehabad, Kheragarh, Bah, Etmadpur and Kiraoli tehsils of the district were jubilant, residents of the Taj city took to SMSes to exchange greetings and welcome the "happy first showers".

"At last the rain god smiled on Agra. We were fearing the worst," said Ravi Singh, a farmer from Barauli Ahir block.

The rainy spell will continue for another two days, according to the weather office in the state capital Lucknow.

"This should help speed up agricultural operations which had been delayed for a while," Ravi said.

Around 45 minutes of heavy rains inundated low-lying areas in the city.

Agra had been struggling with water and power shortages for the past one month. The private discom Torrent hoped the downpour would ease pressure on power demand in the city.