West Bengal: Cyclonic circulation-triggered downpour hits life, disrupts flight ops in Andal airport

Officials at the airport said around three flights, including one from New Delhi and another from Bengaluru, had to be cancelled for the day due to bad weather.

The Met office said Paschim Bardhaman district received around 192 mm of rainfall overnight.

KNI airport authorities said the passengers were informed about the flight disruptions with ample time in hand to minimise inconvenience caused to them as the first flight was scheduled to land at the airport at 12.50 pm.

According to officials at the KNI airport, water gushed into the airport premises and caused water logging in the operational area, while several places at the approach road to the airport from the highway were also inundated.

KNI airport's developer Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL), in a statement issued later, said due to unprecedented rainfall recorded in and around the Durgapur-Asansol area since Thursday (August 1), both KNI airport and the surrounding areas have experienced significant water logging.

“The situation has been further aggravated owing to a breach of a water reservoir upstream. Due to the flooding at the airport, on account of inclement weather conditions, operations have been temporarily suspended and appropriate authorities informed,” BAPL said in the statement, adding that the situation is being closely monitored by the airport authorities, district administration and local bodies, and steps are being taken for early resumption of airport operations.

According to the Met department, a weather system that had been brewing over East India as a low-pressure area has formed over Gangetic West Bengal and adjoining Jharkhand, which, coupled with an active monsoon trough, is expected to bring rapid rains to the region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast extremely heavy rains over Bikar, Kharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal and Sikkim, and heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated parts of Gangetic West Bengal.

According to the IMD forecast, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura will receive heavy to very heavy rains until Tuesday (August 6).

The weather systems are expected to persist for the next few days, with the intensity of rainfall gradually decreasing towards the end of the week, according to IMD.