Kolkata airport authorities say operations running smoothly despite heavy rain as visuals show planes parked on flooded taxiways | WATCH – India News

Kolkata and its surrounding districts are grappling with heavy downpour, but flight operations at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport remain unaffected. Footage from the airport shows both the runway and taxiways inundated with water, yet authorities claimed that flights were operating smoothly. 

Responding to a video of flooded taxiway posted by news agency PTI on X, an official handle of Kolkata Airport wrote, “The flight operations at NSCBI Airport, Kolkata are proceeding normally despite heavy rainfall. Both runways and all taxiways are fully operational. However, a few parking stands are affected by waterlogging for which additional pumps have been deployed.”

The flight operations at NSCBI Airport, Kolkata are proceeding normally despite heavy rainfall. Both runway and all taxiways are fully operational. However, a few parking stands are affected by waterlogging for which additional pumps have been deployed.

— Kolkata Airport (@aaikolairport) August 3, 2024

Kolkata and its neighbouring areas, including Howrah, Salt Lake and Barrackpore, have been experiencing relentless rain due to a low-pressure area that has intensified into a deep depression. Weather officials report that this low-pressure system is currently shifting towards Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, carrying an active monsoon trough over the southern districts of West Bengal, which is responsible for the continuous rain.

Several parts of Kolkata are experiencing waterlogging, a situation expected to persist throughout the day according to the weather office. The southern districts, including Howrah, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum, Purba Bardhaman, Hooghly, Nadia and the North and South 24 Parganas, are likely to continue experiencing showers over the next 12 hours.

In central and south Kolkata, ankle-deep water has been reported. Since Friday afternoon, some areas of the city have received up to 7 cm of rainfall. Despite the heavy rain, Kolkata recorded a maximum temperature of 30.1 degrees Celsius on Friday, 2.4 degrees below normal, with the lowest temperature recorded at 26 degrees Celsius, slightly below the usual level by 0.6 degrees.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued several alerts in response to the weather conditions. A ‘yellow’ alert has been issued for heavy rain of up to 11 cm in Gangetic West Bengal districts, including Kolkata. An ‘orange’ alert, signalling heavy to very heavy rains, has been issued for the districts of Purulia, Murshidabad, Malda, Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong. Alipurduar district faces a ‘red’ alert, with rainfall predictions of up to 20 cm.

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