Trains cancelled, flights delayed after heavy rains lash Kolkata; IMD predicts few spells of heavy showers for tomorrow

Kolkata: Life was thrown out of gear in most parts of the metropolis on Saturday, following torrential rain that led to water-logging in low-lying areas and snapped road links at several places. The city received 186.1 millimeters rainfall in the past 24 hours till around noon on Saturday, the regional meteorological centre in Kolkata said. The Met office had forecast heavy rain and the civic body found it tough to drain out rain water as the precipitation continued throughout the day. [caption id=“attachment_7180011” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Locals wade through a water-logged road following monsoon rains in Kolkata. PTI[/caption] City mayor Firhad Hakim who went around the city to take stalk of the situation said, “We had very heavy rains and the drainage system has capacity much lower than this. Therefore many places were waterlogged.” Heavy rainfall forced city dwellers to keep themselves indoors with offices registering very few turnouts. Commuters were seen wading through knee-deep waters in key thoroughfares, including Ultadanga, Central Avenue, College Street, Shakespeare Sarani, New Alipore, Tollygunge, and Behala. Vehicular traffic was disrupted in several areas of central, south and north Kolkata, resulting in traffic snarls. “Most of the pumps are working to clear the water. But certain low lying areas in Kidderpore, Bodyguard Lines and Behala, Thantania Kali Bari, Tollygunge are still under water,” the mayor told PTI. “There are areas where drains are stuck because of plastic and other materials. Otherwise, water has receded in most parts. The rains have also now eased. If it stays this way, things should be back to normal later tonight,” he said. Flight operations were also affected, as take-off and landing was delayed, said a senior official of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport. Eastern Railway CPRO Nikhil K Chakraborty said circular railway services were cancelled from 10.40 am onwards, due to water-logging. Train movement in Sealdah and Howrah sections of the Eastern Railway was slow, but there has been no cancellation so far, Chakraborty said. Meanwhile, the city’s MeT office predicted generally cloudy sky with a few spells of heavy shower on Sunday. “Heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy rain very likely at one or two places over South 24 Parganas district, East and West Midnapore, Kolkata, Burdwan, Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum, Purulia and Bankura,” the weathermen said. Fishermen are advised not to venture into the sea on Sunday as squally wind speed exceeding 45 kilometers per hour and rough to very rough seas is likely over the North West Bay of Bengal, they said.