Showers bring relief to rain-starved Kolkata

Kolkata: Kolkata and parts of South Bengal on Tuesday received rainfall and thundershower during the afternoon offering temporary respite from the sultry heat.

The Alipore weather office predicted sporadic thuderstorm accompanied by rain in Kolkata and other districts in South Bengal in the next 48 hours but reiterated that there would be no respite from the discomfort due to high humidity level during the day.

Three people reportedly died due to lightning strikes in Howrah and South 24-Parganas.

"The low pressure trough in the Bay of Bengal has descended and has created favourable conditions for sporadic thunderstorm activities in parts of South Bengal.

The coastal districts along with Nadia and Murshidabad will witness thunderstorm activities accompanied with sporadic rainfall in the next 48 hours," said Sanjib Bandopadhyay, deputy director of India Meteorological Department, Kolkata.

He reiterated that the thundershower activities will not account for bringing down the temperature during the day.

"The temperature during the day will be around 36 degrees Celsius and humidity will be on the higher side

which will add to the discomfort. It will

be not as high as Monday when temperature had shot up to 37.7 degrees Celsius but there will be not much relief during the day. However, with thundershowers in the later half of the day and in the evening weather be friendly in the evening and night,"a

senior official in the Alipore weather office said.

There was ankle-deep water in pockets of the city after a smart shower in the afternoon but the Kolkata Municipal Corporation was prompt enough to drain water at a fast pace.

Trees were uprooted at the crossings of Park Street and Camac Street, AJC Bose Road and DL Khan Road, Sarat Bose Road and Basanta Roy Road, near Puddapukur More in Beniapukur and on Strand Road between Babughat and Princep Ghat.

Narayan Maity (24) was killed after being struck by lightning at Baneshwarpur Gram Panchayet area in Uluberia.

He had gone for fishing in a canal when the incident took place. He was taken to Kamalpur Block health centre where he was declared brought dead.

Deaths of two schoolchildren was reported from Jibantala in South 24-Parganas. They had taken leave from their school after the tiffin break. The incident occurred a kilometre away from the school.

The deceased have been identified as Sujauddin Mollah and Rahman Laskar. Another student who suffured injuries is undergoing treatment at Canning Hospital.