Even as districts in north Bengal continue to reel under a prolonged spell of heavy showers, the Meteorological Department on Tuesday forecast more rainfall across several south Bengal districts over the next few days.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre at Alipore, Kolkata, heavy rain is likely in the south Bengal districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Bankura, and Murshidabad on Wednesday and Thursday.
“For the next six days, heavy to very heavy rain will persist in all districts of North Bengal, while several South Bengal districts will also experience heavy rainfall,” said a Met department official.
As a result, low-lying areas in West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Howrah, and Hooghly are at risk of a flood-like situation due to overflowing rivers. The situation has worsened following the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) releasing water into West Bengal after heavy rainfall in Jharkhand.
Continuous downpours over the past few weeks have already damaged agricultural land and destroyed standing crops, leading to a surge in vegetable prices across the state. The release of water from DVC-operated dams has also washed away roads and further impacted farmlands. With more rain predicted this week, there is little chance of immediate improvement.
Meanwhile, a heavy rain warning has been issued for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday, very heavy rain is expected in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar. For Friday and Saturday, heavy rain warnings remain in effect for Cooch Behar, Malda, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur.
Kolkata will continue to experience light to moderate rainfall with thundershowers until the weekend.
On Monday, the maximum temperature in Kolkata was 31.2°C, about 0.8°C below normal, while the relative humidity ranged between 81% and 97%. On Tuesday, the sky is expected to remain cloudy throughout the day, accompanied by light to moderate rain and occasional thunderstorms.
(IANS)
