India’s overall monsoon deficit has narrowed down to 7 per cent and rainfall is likely to improve further following the formation of a fresh low pressure area over north-east Bay of Bengal. The weather forecast from India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday said heavy to extremely heavy rainfall was likely at isolated places over central India including Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra as low pressure area over Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression (one level below a cyclone).
As per National Disaster Response Force, landslides triggered by incessant rains in the hills of Uttarakhand on Tuesday blocked many road routes, including Rishikesh-Badrinath highway at Lambagad. A cloudburst at Gairsain in Chamoli district in the early hours on Tuesday also damaged bridges, a school building and cowsheds. Meanwhile, the flood situation in Nashik in Maharashtra eased as water level in the Godavari river, which was flowing above the danger mark, started receding.
According to IMD, the low pressure system is an outcome of the merger of two weather phenomena. One is the remnants of storm Wipha across Vietnam, Burma and another one is the Cyclonic Circulation that had formed in the Bay of Bengal. “The depression adjoining coastal Bangladesh and West Bengal lay centred around 160 km southeast of Odisha’s Balasore and about 130 km south-southeast of West Bengal’s Digha and this will bring heavy rain across eastern, central and western India from Thursday,” it said.
There is also a forecast of rainfall across northern India at isolated places over Odisha, South Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal and Jharkhand. The unstable weather arising from the depression is already being felt on the East Coast.
The IMD issued “red warning” for Malkangiri, Koraput, Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Puri districts in Odisha till Wednesday, predicting heavy to very heavy rain in a few places and extremely heavy downpour in other areas of the six districts.
According to weather channel, the depression could bring over 125 mm rainfall in Chhattisgarh and adjoining areas over the next two days. South Odisha could get 200 mm rain during the same period.
Many districts of Gangetic West Bengal, including Howrah, Hooghly and Kolkata could also receive heavy rainfall during the same period. Up to 200 mm rainfall is also expected in Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh till Wednesday.
Eastern India has not had a good southwest monsoon season so far. Most districts in West Bengal face rainfall deficiency ranging from 20-59%, and Howrah is worst-affected, with 80% shortfall. Odisha also has received 24% deficient monsoon rain while Jharkhand is in the red by 40%. The situation in Chhattisgarh is slightly better, with 11% shortfall. Residents and the respective state administrations will, therefore, be hoping that the wet weather to come over the next few days will right some of this imbalance.
The Met department has advised fishermen not to venture into northwest Bay of Bengal and the coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal till August 10.