Kolkata, Aug 5 (IANS) Even as districts in North Bengal are reeling under a prolonged spell of heavy showers, the Met office on Tuesday forecast heavy rains for several South Bengal districts as well for the next few days.

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata’s Alipore, heavy rain will occur in South Bengal districts of North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, East Midnapore, West Midnapore, Bankura, and Murshidabad on Wednesday and Thursday.

“For the next six days, heavy to very heavy rain will continue in all districts of North Bengal. At the same time, heavy rain will occur in several South Bengal districts as well,” said a Met department official.

As a result, several areas in West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Howrah, and Hooghly districts will have the risk of witnessing a flood-like situation due to overflowing rivers. The situation worsened after Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) released water in West Bengal following heavy rains in Jharkhand. As per the Met official, low-lying areas in these districts will be most affected.

Incessant rain over the last few weeks damaged agricultural land and destroyed crops. This led to a hike in vegetable prices across the state. The release of water from DVC-operated dams also destroyed several roads and further damaged crops. With more rain on the radar, there is little possibility for the situation to improve during the current week.

Meanwhile, a heavy rain warning has been issued for the North Bengal districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar on Tuesday and Wednesday. A very heavy rain warning is in place for Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar districts on Thursday. There is a heavy rain warning for Cooch Behar, Malda, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur for Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, Kolkata will continue to experience light to moderate rainfall with thundershowers till the weekend.

On Monday, the maximum temperature in Kolkata was 31.2 degrees Celsius, which is 0.8 degrees below normal. The relative humidity in the air was a maximum of 97 per cent and a minimum of 81 per cent. On Tuesday, the sky will be cloudy over Kolkata most of the day, with light to moderate rain and the possibility of thunderstorms.

–IANS

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