‘Low pressure over N-W Bay of Bengal to turn into depression in next 48 hrs’
Fishermen prohibited from going to the sea till Thursday
KOLKATA: Amid the prediction of heavy to very heavy rainfall from August 8 to 11, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday stated that the low pressure over the northwest Bay of Bengal adjacent to the Bengal-Odisha coast has intensified and is likely to turn into a depression in the next 48 hours.
It also predicted a gusty wind speed reaching 50 to 60 kmph is likely to prevail over South 24-Parganas and East Midnapore districts of South Bengal and a wind speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph is likely to prevail over the other districts of South Bengal on August 9 and 10. The weather office further said that gusty wind speed reaching 30 to 40 kmph is likely to prevail over the coastal districts of South Bengal on August 8.
The state government has prohibited fishermen from going to sea from Monday to Thursday. “In anticipation of formation of a Low-Pressure Area over Northwest Bay of Bengal & neighbourhood around August 7, 2022 and its likely intensification, enhanced rainfall activity very likely to occur over the districts of South Bengal during 8th to 11th August, 2022,” the IMD, Kolkata had tweeted earlier.
“A Well Marked Low-Pressure Area over Northwest & adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal off Odisha and adjoining north Andhra Pradesh coasts. It is likely to concentrate into a Depression during next 48 hours and move westnorthwestwards across Odisha and Chhattisgarh,” the IMD stated in a tweet. The state government on Friday had issued a ‘Red warning’ in anticipation of the formation of a low-pressure area over the northwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal. On Sunday morning, in various coastal areas of the state, a warning was given out to the people through loudspeakers. In areas like Digha, Shankarpur, Mandarmani and Petuaghat fishing port, the
police and fisheries department through wireless ordered fishermen who are in the middle of the sea to return by Sunday evening. These practices were also seen at Namkhana and Gosaba. Apart from these drills, the cleaning of flood centres and schools has started.
Heavy rainfall has been predicted in South 24-Parganas and East Medinipur on Monday. Along with these two coastal districts, areas under Kolkata, North 24-Parganas, West Medinipur and Jhargram will also receive heavy rainfall on Tuesday. Heavy rain has been predicted in North and South 24-Parganas, East and West Medinipur and Jhargram, along with Kolkata, Howrah, Hooghly, Burdwan, Purulia and Bankura on Wednesday
as well. On Thursday, heavy rain was predicted in Purulia, Bankura, Jhargram and West Medinipur.
According to the department, the intensity of it is likely to rise while wind speed might exceed 50 kilometre per hour along and off the West Bengal coast during this period. Around 30 to 40 kilometre per hour wind speed is expected on Monday; however, it may be 50 to 60 kilometre per hour between August 9 and August 10. On July 27, the government told the Parliament that Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Meghalaya and Nagaland have shown significant decreasing trends in the southwest monsoon rainfall during the recent 30-year period (1989-2018, both years included).