Pb, Hry breathe easy as rain washes out dust; flight services resume

Rains in several parts of Punjab and Haryana including Chandigarh today cleared the blanket of dust haze which had covered the region for the past three days, even as flight operations that had been hit due to low visibility have resumed.

Rains started past midnight and washed away the blanket of dust haze that had adversely affected normal life in the two states.

While several places in Punjab and Haryana were lashed by rains, Chandigarh too received heavy downpour since early today bringing much-needed relief to residents from the dust haze and sultry weather.

Mercury plummeted by several notches after rains, MeT Department officials said.

Rain also brought cheers for paddy growers, readying their fields for transplanting paddy.

Flight operations at the Chandigarh International Airport which had been adversely hit due to low visibility levels caused by dust haze, resumed today, airport officials said.

Most of the flights had to be cancelled during the past two days due to low visibility.

Air quality too had worsened by the dust haze in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh during the past three days.