Heavy rainfall lashed south Bengal districts and disrupted normal life in state capital Kolkata, throwing road and rail traffic out of gear since early Saturday morning as most parts of the city were submerged.
The heavy rains have been brought about by Cyclone Komen, which even though has weakened into a depression after making landfall in Bangladesh still sustains strength to bring torrential rain over several parts of West Bengal.
Several roads in north and south Kolkata remained under knee-deep water owing to the rains.
Arterial roads like Central Avenue, Park Street, Theatre Road, Hospital Road, Amherst Street and parts of Diamond Harbour Road were waterlogged, leading to traffic snarls.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is running 300 pumps from its permanent pumping stations in different parts of the city along with 360 more portable pumps to drain out the water, Mayor in-Council (drainage) member, Tarak Singh, said.
The water level in the Ganges recorded a high of 6.8-m owing to a full moon yesterday combined with the heavy rains and release of water from upper catchment areas, said a River Traffic Police officer.
Reports of power outage and shortage of potable water are coming in from parts of Kolkata.
Indian Meteorological Department has predicted a stormy weather for the next 24 hours, advising people to maintain caution.
"Rainfall at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places would occur over the Gangetic West Bengal and North Odisha during next 24 hours and isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall thereafter. Sea condition would remian rough. Fishermen are advised not to venture along the coast," said a statement released by by IMD.
According to private weather forecaster Skymet, the weather system is moving in a west/northwest direction and is likely to weaken further into a well-marked low pressure area within next 24 hours.
In view of the storm, heavy to extremely heavy rains are expected to lash coastal and southern parts of West Bengal. Heavy rains are likely over Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha as well.
During last 24 hours, flood fury was witnessed in several districts of West Bengal including Hoogly, Midnapore, Burdwan, Asansol, Bankura and 24 Parganas. Kolkata received 133.6 mm of rain in the last 24 hours followed by Midnapore 89 mm, Bankura 57 mm and Asansol 62 mm.
Train services at Howrah and Sealdah sections of Eastern Railway were affected owing to the flooding of the tracks, said ER CPRO, Ravi Mahapatra.
"At Sealdah, EMU local train services are delayed and we are running trains on Sunday schedule," he said.
That meant several EMU locals were cancelled due to lack of rakes, which were stuck in waterlogged car sheds.
Mail and express trains to and from Howrah and Sealdah are delayed, but all the trains are running, he said.
Train services at Kolkata station, another terminal in North Kolkata, are stalled due to the tracks going under water, he added.
