City receives heavy rainfall, more likely in next 72 hours

The MeT department predicted heavy thundershowers in the next 72 hours in Gangetic Bengal. “It would be cloudy in the morning followed by torrential rainfall,” said a weather scientist of Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore.

The experts of the Regional Meteorological Centre further added that these rains cannot be attributed to the monsoon, but this kind of low pressure often develops in the Bay of Bengal.

“The deep depression which is the fallout of the low pressure caused the rainfall on Saturday. The city life is expected to remain disrupted till Tuesday morning till the depression loses its strength,” the scientist said.

However, not only Bengal but some portions of North Bengal too received heavy rainfall on Saturday which the weather scientists explained as the parallel effect of deep depression.

“The system of the deep depression began as the cyclonic circulation underwent intensifications and is currently marked as a deep depression over Bengal. Heavy or moderate spell of thundershower at different places of Bankura, Burdwan, Birbhum, Howrah, Hooghly, Murshidabad, Nadia, North and South 24-Parganas, Purulia, East and West Midnapore, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar will continue for some days.

Until the early afternoon, the depression was in the close proximity to Kolkata, due to which more heavy showers are expected over the city of joy until Tuesday. In fact, a few heavy rainstorms also cannot be ruled out during this period.

While the depression is expected to weaken after 72 hours, light to moderate rainfall will continue on Wednesday as well.

“Till the afternoon, Kolkata witnessed 61 mm to 75 mm rainfall. We decided to keep the pumping stations ready by Friday night. The stations situated in North Kolkata, such as Maniktala, Birpara, Pamarbazar and Thanthania are under action now. The level of waterlogging in the road has decreased,” Sovan Chatterjee, Mayor of Kolkata said. However, this unstoppable downpour has brought the city to a standstill. The rain has dislocated normal life; heavy rainfall accompanied by strong wind caused water logging in some low-lying area of the city.

Waterlogging at Southern Avenue and other by-lanes were seen at South Kolkata and in several other places including, Burrabazar, Muktaram Babu Street, Thanthania were inundated.

“There are eight lock gates which were opened till the level of water decreased. The high tide was responsible for the inundation in the road,” said a Kolkata Municipal Corporation officer.