Flight operations at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport are proceeding smoothly despite the heavy downpour that has inundated the West Bengal capital and its surrounding districts. Footage from the airport shows both the runway and taxiways flooded
Kolkata and its neighbouring areas, including Howrah, Salt Lake, and Barrackpore, have been lashed by continuous rain. This downpour is attributed to a low-pressure area that has intensified into a deep depression. According to weather officials, this low pressure is currently shifting towards Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, carrying an active monsoon trough over the southern districts of West Bengal, which is causing relentless rain.
?Kolkata | Flight operations at Kolkata Airport are proceeding normally despite heavy rainfall. Both the runway and all taxiways are fully operational.
However, a few parking stands are affected by waterlogging for which additional pumps have been deployed. pic.twitter.com/ddrEu4rmVE
— NDTV (@ndtv) August 3, 2024
Waterlogging has been reported from several parts of Kolkata, and the situation is expected to persist throughout the day, according to the weather office. The southern districts, including Howrah, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, Nadia, and the North and South 24 Parganas, are likely to continue experiencing showers over the next 12 hours.
Ankle-deep water has been reported in parts of central and south Kolkata. Since Friday afternoon, some areas of the city have received up to 7 cm of rainfall. Despite the heavy rain, the maximum temperature recorded in Kolkata on Friday was 30.1 degrees Celsius, which is 2.4 degrees below the normal temperature. The lowest temperature was recorded at 26 degrees Celsius, slightly below the usual level by 0.6 degrees.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued several alerts in response to the weather conditions. A ‘yellow’ alert has been issued for heavy rain of up to 11 cm in Gangetic West Bengal districts, including Kolkata. An ‘orange’ alert, signalling heavy to very heavy rains, has been issued for the districts of Purulia, Murshidabad, Malda, Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong. Alipurduar district faces a ‘red’ alert, with rainfall predictions of up to 20 cm.
