New Delhi: Ahead of cyclone ‘Sitrang’, National Disaster Response Force teams were deployed at various places in West Bengal’s South 24 Pargana district. The administration had deployed NDRF teams at Gangasagar, Diamond Harbour, Kakdwip, Gosaba, reported news agency ANI. “Our team is on alert mode to carry out rescue operations,” it said.
The southern districts of West Bengal, including Kolkata, experienced light rain and an overcast sky on Monday as cyclone 'Sitrang' moved towards north Bay of Bengal, raising the likelihood of a downpour during the day and threatening to dampen Diwali festivities.
The system is expected to make a landfall between Tinkona island and Sandwip in Bangladesh early on October 25, the Met department said, reported news agency PTI.
Sitrang, which is likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, will bring in its wake heavy to very heavy rain and wind reaching speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph, in the coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore on Monday, the weather office said.
As per the weather department, the cyclone will trigger heavy to very heavy rains in North 24 Pargana and South 24 Pargana on Tuesday.
Capital city Kolkata and adjoining districts of Howrah and Hooghly are set to experience moderate to heavy rainfall on Monday, the MeT department said.
The weather office said that the Sundarban region in West Bengal and Bangladesh is likely to get heavily impacted by the cyclone.
Torrential rain, accompanied by wind gusts up to 100 kmph and high tidal waves, may damage kutcha embankments and roads and disrupt power and communication lines in the region, it said.