Normal life disrupted due to heavy rain in Kolkata

Waterlogging in central and north Kolkata causes huge traffic jams; heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 72 hours predicted

September 04, 2016 12:00 am | Updated October 18, 2016 02:46 pm IST - Kolkata:

Aftermath:A man pushes his car through a waterlogged street after it broke down due to heavy rain in Guwahati while (right) a rickshaw puller waits for a customer in Kolkata on Saturday.- Photos: PTI

Aftermath:A man pushes his car through a waterlogged street after it broke down due to heavy rain in Guwahati while (right) a rickshaw puller waits for a customer in Kolkata on Saturday.- Photos: PTI

Heavy downpour lashed Kolkata on Saturday creating severe traffic snarls in several parts of the city. The ordeal of daily commuters was not just limited to traffic congestions but they were also faced waterlogging in Central and North Kolkata.

Serpentine queues of vehicles could be seen in several busy areas of the city such as Central Avenue and Esplanade in Central Kolkata whereas College Street, Amherst Street in North Kolkata and Behala in South West Kolkata also experienced traffic congestion.

Cyclonic formation

According to officials of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Alipore, the city received 35 mm of rain from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Saturday. Weather experts said that the rainfall took place due to the cyclonic formation over the Bay of Bengal and a low pressure system over North Bengal. “The cyclonic formation over the Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas and the low pressure system currently located over sub-Himalayan Bengal (North Bengal) are causing the rainfall,” a senior official of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Alipore, told The Hindu .

He also said that the four districts of North Bengal -- Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar -- are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall later in the day. “As for the districts in South Bengal, there will be heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 72 hours,” added.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials, however, put up a brave face saying they have made required arrangements to tackle the rain and severe waterlogging in the city is unlikely. “We have kept all the pumping stations of KMC ready and even if there is some waterlogging, it will recede soon,” said Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee.

Mayor in Council (Drainage) said , “there is very little waterlogging in the city. It is limited to parts of Central Avenue and Camac Street.”

PTI adds:

Cooch Behar received 62 mm rainfall in 24 hours since yesterday morning, the highest in the State, followed by Jalpaiguri which received 47 mm rain during the same period, the Met department said.

The South Bengal districts were almost dry during the period with one or two places receiving scant rainfall.

Bankura recorded the State’s highest day temperature of 35.3 degrees Celsius, followed by neighbouring Asansol (34.4 deg C) and Burdwan (34 deg C).

Kolkata’s highest day temperature was 34.2 degrees C, the Met department said.

The southern districts of the State were not likely to get much rain in the next two days with the forecast being of one or two spells of showers with a partly cloudy sky.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.