2 killed as heavy rain lashes West Bengal; IMD issues alert

Kolkata: At least two persons were killed in two separate incidents in Howrah and West Burdwan districts, respectively, as heavy rains lashed West Bengal over the past 48 hours, officials said.
On Friday evening, a man was killed in West Burdwan when the car he was driving was washed away by the overflowing river Garui near Asansol. The man’s body was trapped inside the car and recovered on Saturday morning. In another incident, a 21-year-old woman was electrocuted to death when she accidentally touched a live wire at Salkia in Howrah.
Meanwhile, the state administration said that some districts may face a flood-like situation as the Damodar Valley Corporation was releasing a large quantity of water.
“Districts in south Bengal such as Bankura, Purulia, West Burdwan, East Burdwan, and Birbhum have been receiving heavy rain,” Alapan Bandopadhyay, chief advisor to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, told media persons at the state secretariat. 
“The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) has been releasing huge amounts of water without informing the state government. There are fears that several areas in Howrah and Hooghly districts may get inundated. People have been alerted,” he added.
The DVC, however, refuted the charges. “This isn’t true. The West Bengal government has been informed about the release of water at least six hours in advance. We have all records,” a senior official said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a fresh warning of heavy rains in some districts of south and north Bengal. According to the IMD, several places in south Bengal, including Dum Dum, Diamond Harbour, Asansol, and Rajnagar, received 80mm to 100mm rain in the past 24 hours.
The depression over Jharkhand intensified into a deep depression on Saturday. It is likely to move towards Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh during the next 48 hours, said an IMD official in Kolkata.
Heavy rains are expected in north Bengal districts, including the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong, till around August 7. The water level in rivers such as Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka, and Sankosh will rise, and there may be landslides, the IMD has warned. 
Heavy rains have also led to waterlogging in several pockets in Kolkata and surrounding areas, including the NSCBI airport, where some parking stands were affected by waterlogging.
“Flight operations proceeded normally. The runways and taxiways were fully operational. The situation was under control,” said a senior airport authority official in Kolkata.