South Bengal braces for heavy rainfall, intensity to reduce from Tuesday

Kolkata: The Alipore weather office on Sunday predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in three districts of South Bengal and medium rainfall in the rest of the districts including Kolkata, in the next 24 hours. The intensity of rainfall will reduce from Tuesday.

"Birbhum, Murshidabad and West Burdwan are the three districts in South Bengal that will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours. Bankura, East Burdwan, North and South 24-Parganas, East and West Midnapore,

Jhargram, Nadia and East Burdwan will witness moderate rainfall. Kolkata will also see medium rainfall. There will be rainfall across entire South Bengal in the next 48 hours, but the intensity of rain will decrease from Tuesday," a senior official in Alipore weather office said.

The Met office has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall in Malda and South

and North Dinajpur in the

next 24 hours and heavy rain in the other North Bengal districts.

According to sources in the weather office, there is a low pressure trough stretching from Punjab to Bihar and further along the sub-Himalayan North Bengal stretching up to Assam, which has been causing rainfall in Bengal for the last 48 hours.

"There is also a depression existing at South East Uttar Pradesh, which is at a height of 5.8 km from the ground level. The combined effect of these two weather conditions has been instrumental in causing rainfall in the state," the senior official of the weather office said.

Heavy rain lashed the city in the morning, resulting in waterlogging in some parts. However, prompt action

from the Drainage depart-

ment of Kolkata Municipal Corporation ensured water draining out without much delay.

Much to the relief of the people, weather conditions improved slightly later in the day, providing the opportunity to the city-dwellers to do their shopping in the late afternoon and evening.