Kolkata: Relentless heavy to very heavy precipitation triggered by a well-marked low-pressure system over Gangetic West Bengal and the adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal disrupted normal life across Kolkata and surrounding districts on Wednesday. In a detailed meteorological warning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded multi-state heavy rainfall and flash flood alerts across West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and eastern Madhya Pradesh over the next 48 hours as the monsoon system tracks west-northwestward across the Chota Nagpur plateau. For continuous updates on severe weather warnings, urban infrastructure alerts, and disaster response, visit our weather and civic desk.

Urban Inundation Across Kolkata and South Bengal Records

In Kolkata, the primary Alipore weather observatory recorded 127 mm of rainfall within a 24-hour cycle, causing knee-deep waterlogging across low-lying thoroughfares, underpasses, and arterial corridors including Behala, Park Circus, Central Avenue, and EM Bypass. The severe downpour stranded public transit and created prolonged morning gridlocks for daily office commuters.

Precipitation totals across southern and western districts reached season-high marks:

  • Sriniketan (Birbhum): Logged an extreme downpour of 263 mm, flooding rural lowlands and central avenues across the university hub of Santiniketan.
  • Asansol & Industrial Belt: Asansol recorded 110 mm, while Tilpara Barrage registered 80 mm.
  • North Bengal: Kalimpong recorded 70 mm of continuous rainfall.

Meteorologists indicated that while elevated downpours will persist across Birbhum, Hooghly, and the Bardhaman districts through Thursday, rainfall intensity across coastal South Bengal will gradually taper off as the center of the depression transitions inland.

Also Read: IMD East India Heavy Rain Alert: Red Warning in Odisha

IMD Multi-State 48-Hour Alert Matrix

The weather bureau has alerted multiple state administrations to prepare for localized emergencies:

  • Sub-Himalayan West Bengal: An active Orange Alert remains in force across Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar, where heavy spells heighten the immediate risk of hillside mudslides and flash rises in mountain rivers.
  • Odisha Flash Flood Threat: Orange warnings were issued for northern districts—including Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, and Sundargarh—cautioning against agricultural field inundation. Squally winds reaching 50–60 km/h along the coast prompted strict advisories barring fishermen from deep-sea operations.
  • Jharkhand & Bihar: Widespread thundershowers are forecast over southern and central Jharkhand (Ranchi, East and West Singhbhum, Saraikela) and parts of southern Bihar through September 3–4.
  • Central India: Heavy convective rain and squally lightning are set to advance into eastern Madhya Pradesh and northern Chhattisgarh over the next 48 hours.

Civic Machinery and Emergency Response Deployed

To mitigate urban flooding, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) activated hundreds of heavy-duty portable drainage pumps alongside permanent drainage stations to discharge stagnant runoff into drainage canals. Simultaneously, district collectors across Birbhum and the Bardhaman divisions placed disaster response and irrigation engineers on round-the-clock embankment surveillance to respond swiftly to rural river breaches.