Lagatar24 Desk
Kolkata: On Saturday, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata faced severe waterlogging on its runway due to heavy rainfall, disrupting airport operations. Videos from the scene showed substantial flooding on the runway, with planes parked amidst the deluge.
The relentless rains that have impacted Kolkata have also caused significant waterlogging across various parts of the city, including neighboring areas such as Howrah, Salt Lake, and Barrackpore. The weather disturbance, attributed to a low-pressure area that has evolved into a deep depression, has led to widespread disruptions.
Weather department officials have warned that the heavy rain will persist throughout the day. Since Friday evening, some areas of the city have received more than 7 cm of rainfall. The deep depression, originating from Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal, is shifting towards Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. This, combined with an active monsoon trough over southern West Bengal, has contributed to the ongoing downpour.
Southern districts, including Howrah, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Hooghly, Nadia, and North and South 24 Parganas, are expected to continue experiencing rainfall over the next 12 hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued warnings for thunderstorms and lightning.
The IMD has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Gangetic West Bengal districts, including Kolkata, indicating heavy rain of up to 11 cm. An ‘orange’ alert has been issued for Purulia, Murshidabad, Darjeeling, Malda, Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, and Kalimpong, forecasting heavy to very heavy rains. Additionally, a ‘red’ alert has been issued for Alipurduar district, with predicted rainfall of up to 20 cm.
On Friday, Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 30.1°C, which is 2.4 degrees Celsius below normal, while the minimum temperature was 26°C, 0.6 degrees below average.
