The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will become the country's first civic body to give every information on the city's weather to the citizens through public display boards. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee will inaugurate the monsoon-related information system on Friday. Electronic display boards installed at seven important intersections in the city will provide hourly information to the people. The display boards are located at the intersections of Mullickbazar, Tollygune Metro station, Park Circus (infront Islamia hospital), E Mall, Park Street near Allen Park, National library and Kankurgachi.
Information regarding temperature, rainfall, tides, waterlogging etc will be displayed in these boards. Moreover, Palmerbazar, Dhapalock and Ballygunge pumping stations' information regarding rainfall will also be put up. The information will help the people to avoid the roads that are waterlogged and also update on when the city will get rain in the next couple of hours. KMC is determined to combat the menace of waterlogging and the Mayor has assured that the duration of waterlogging will be minimum this year. All the pumps to clear the accumulated water from roads are functioning well and senior civic officials have been asked to get in touch with their counterparts in the weather office and act accordingly.
Meanwhile, traffic in the city was thrown out of gear on Thursday afternoon following a heavy downpour. Long tailbacks of vehicles were seen on the Eastern Metropolitan bypass, Maa Flyover, Chittaranjan Avenue, Bridge Number 4, Congress Exhibition Road, Park Street, Syed Amir Ali Avenue among others.
There was ankle deep water in some areas that include Sakher Bazar, Sarsuna, Manicktala, Ultadanga. However, the water receded after the rain stopped. The Alipore Weather office has predicted rainfall on Friday.
Senior police officers said traffic jams were caused due to slow movement of traffic. There is less than 6 percent road coverage in the city and so there is tremendous pressure on roads. On a dry day, because of proper traffic management, traffic jams have been minimized but during rain, the average speed of vehicles is anything between 20 km to 25 km per hour. As the traffic movement slows down, the volume of traffic goes up causing major snarls.
As there was waterlogging in many by lanes and lanes, the movement of traffic using them slowed down putting pressure on the main thoroughfares.
North and northern suburbs received more rainfall than the southern parts of Kolkata. While Birpara, Manicktala and Belgachia pumping stations of the KMC received 42.6 mm, 22 mm and 34 mm rainfall respectively, Dhapa Lock pumping station received only 2 mm rainfall.