Heavy downpour brings Kolkata to grinding halt, more rainfall expected in next 3 days

Rafts pressed into service after heavy rains left the streets of Kolkata water-logged, on June 26, 2018. (Photo: IANS)

KOLKATA: Heavy downpour lashed across the West Bengal capital, severely restricting all traffic movements and leading to water logging in several parts of the city. Several regions witnessed knee-deep water on Tuesday, reported IANS, with the water entering some houses.

The Regional Meteorological Centre has issued heavy rainfall warning for the next three days.

Several areas like Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Garden Reach, Behala, Watgunge, Khidirpur and Hyde Road, Utladanga etc were severely waterlogged. 

"Every year, water enters our houses and we are immensely troubled," said a resident of Watgunge.

"Water accumulates every year, and sometimes water stays for 2 to 7 days and even a month. We face immense trouble in moving out, especially taking children to the school. We catch fever as the canal water overpours and it is dirty so we get infections in our legs," a Mukundapur resident said.

Other parts of West Bengal also witnessed heavy rainfall including South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.

The chief amount of rainfall recorded in the State was 18 cm in Haldia, 17 cm in Diamond Harbour and 16 cm in Alipore.

The maximum temperature was 29.6 degrees Celsius and minimum 24.1 degrees which are 3 notches below average. The relative humidity touched 97 percent.