Twitter
Advertisement

Cyclone Titli: MET Department warns of heavy rainfall in West Bengal

The meteorological department on Friday warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Gangetic West Bengal till Saturday as the cyclonic storm 'Titli', which has weakened into a deep depression, moved towards northeast.

Latest News
article-main
AFP
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

The meteorological department on Friday warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in the Gangetic West Bengal till Saturday as the cyclonic storm 'Titli', which has weakened into a deep depression, moved towards northeast.

The storm system is very likely to further lose steam and turn into a depression as it moves through Odisha and enter the Gangetic West Bengal after recurving northeastwards following landfall at Gopalpur in Ganjam district of Odisha, the weatherman said.

It is, however, likely to cause heavy to very heavy rain in the Gangetic West Bengal, with North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Jhargram, East Burdwan, Howrah and Hooghly districts to be affected the most.

Heavy rain is likely in Kolkata, Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum, Murshidabad, Malda, North and South Dinajpur districts till Saturday.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the coasts West Bengal and Odisha, deep sea areas of North and Central Bay of Bengal till Saturday owing to rough to very rough sea condition.

Squall with speed of 45 to 55 kmph, gusting to 65 kmph will prevail along and off the coasts of West Bengal and Odisha, the MeT department said.

Tourists at Digha and adjacent sea-side resorts have been advised not to get into any sea-bound activities till Saturday.

Trail of destruction

 

A day after Cyclone Titli battered Odisha and left behind a trail of destruction, the state is gearing up to restore power supply and road links amid concerns over a possible flood situation.

The cyclone has "weakened into a deep depression", triggering incessant rainfall in the state, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) B P Sethi said.

Major rivers, especially the ones in south Odisha, are in spate and stretches of low-lying areas inundated by rain water, he said.

A severe cyclonic storm packing winds of up to 150 kmph and widespread rains had hit eastern India Thursday, killing eight people in Andhra Pradesh and one in Odisha.

In Odisha, around 3 lakh people were evacuated from the vulnerable areas of five coastal districts, a day before the cyclone made a landfall.

The situation is grim in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada and Balasore districts as several rivers, including Rushikylya, Vansadhara and Jalaka, have started swelling due to the incessant rain, the SRC said.

"We have been moving people to safe places at Chikiti, Dharakote, Patrapur and Sanakhemundi blocks of Ganjam district as river Rushikulya is in spate. Over 1,000 people were also shifted to relief camps in Gunupur area due to rise in water level in river Vansadhara," Sethi said.

The water level of Vansadhara river has touched 84.35m and 56.30m at Gunupur and Kashinagar respectively, crossing the danger mark of 84m and 54.6m.

Similarly, the water level of river Rushikulya has crossed the mark of 16.83m and touched 18.60 metre at Purushottampur in Ganjam.

"The administration is prepared to deal with emergency situations," the SRC said, adding that action was being taken to restore electricity and clear roads blocked by uprooted trees and electric poles.

The low-lying areas in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and the pilgrim town of Puri, too, remained waterlogged due to rain.

"A large number of pumps have been engaged by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to clear waterlogging," a civic body official said.

The road connectivity on Lathipada-Shergad road in Ganjam has been disrupted, while a bridge on Badagada Jarau River washed away following the heavy rainfall, official sources said.

Similarly, the swelling Mahendratanaya river has submerged vast stretches of Gajapati district, cutting of road communication between Andhra Pradesh and Paralakhemundi in Odisha, they added.

Director of the metereological centre at Bhubaneswar, H R Biswas, said heavy to very heavy rainfall will continue to pound parts of the state, including Balasore, Bhadrak and Dhenkanal districts, till Saturday.

Fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea in view of adverse weather conditions, he added.

 

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement