Kolkata: Large parts of north and central Kolkata went under water following a sharp shower that lasted an hour on Sunday afternoon. According to KMC sewerage and drainage department records, north and central Kolkata had heavy rain while the south received light drizzle and was left relatively dry.
The downpour was triggered by clouds floating into Gangetic Bengal from Bangladesh, said the Met office. It led to a thunderstorm with lightning strikes. “Like Saturday, Sunday’s rain, too, was the result of a thunderstorm. Heating over neighbouring Bangladesh and inflow of moisture with south-easterly winds created conditions favourable for a thunderstorm. This was the second in as many days,” said Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) director G K Das.
The monsoon trough has shifted northward and is passing through the Himalayan foothills in north Bengal. “The trough will not have any immediate impact on the weather. It could remain in north Bengal for the next few days, causing heavy rain there. South Bengal, on the other hand, could continue to get sporadic showers and thunderstorms. The rain could be light to moderate, with occasional heavy spells like the ones we saw over the weekend,” said Das.
Drainage pumping stations used heavy-duty pumps to drain water from pockets of north Kolkata. College Street, Thanthania, Amherst Street, Bidhan Sarani and Sahitya Parishad Street received 70mm rain in an hour. “Between 1pm and 3pm, the Marcus Square drainage pumping station recorded over 60mm rain, which is beyond its capacity. Large parts of College Street, Amherst Street, Thanthania and Goabagan Street went under water in the afternoon,” said a KMC official.
Vast stretches of the Ultadanga-Kankurgachhi belt and Beliaghata-Maniktala zone were heavily waterlogged. “Our Ultadanga drainage pumping station recorded 30mm rain in the afternoon,” said an official.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/downpour-in-central-and-north-kolkata-just-a-drizzle-in-south/articleshow/93259912.cms
