Kolkata, Aug. 5 -- Kolkata recorded 68 mm of rainfall on Wednesday morning as widespread showers and thunderstorms affected the city and several districts of south Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said rainfall activity is likely to intensify across south Bengal through Friday.

On Wednesday, Bankura, Birbhum, East Burdwan and West Burdwan were placed under an orange alert for heavy rainfall. Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia and North 24-Parganas were under a yellow alert for thunderstorms with lightning, moderate rain and gusty winds reaching 30-40 kmph. Heavy rain was reported from parts of Birbhum and other districts of south Bengal.

A fresh weather warning was issued for West Midnapore and Jhargram, where severe thunderstorms with lightning, intense rain and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph were forecast. Residents in both districts received a Presidential alert on their mobile phones, warning of severe thunderstorms, lightning, intense rainfall and gusty winds during the afternoon, and several areas of West Midnapore witnessed heavy rain. For Thursday, the IMD has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall over Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Bankura, East Burdwan and Purulia. The spell is expected to continue till Friday afternoon or evening.

North Bengal remains under a red alert, with Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall, while Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur are expected to receive heavy rain along with thunderstorms and gusty winds. The IMD has warned of possible landslides in the hills, waterlogging in low-lying areas, damage to crops and vulnerable structures, and a rise in river water levels.

Meanwhile, several roads in Kolkata, including AJC Bose Road, Central Avenue, Salt Lake, Camac Street and Harish Mukherjee Road, were waterlogged following the heavy rain. KMC commissioner and Administrator Smita Pandey said suction pumps were operating continuously and water had been pumped out from the affected areas. She added that the situation was under control with the assistance of the Kolkata Police.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.