Nor’westers wreaked havoc in different districts of north Bengal late on Tuesday night. Trees were uprooted, the electric supply was affected, along with standing crops. Many areas also witnessed waterlogging.

A devastating storm struck Raiganj in North Dinajpur district late Tuesday night, causing significant damage to property and disrupting normal life. At Debinagar, three shops were completely destroyed after an uprooted old tree crashed on the shops. An electric pole was uprooted, leading to a prolonged power outage across parts of Raiganj town. Traffic movement was severely affected. The storm was followed by heavy rainfall, resulting in waterlogging in several areas, including wards 3, 4, 10, 21 and 23 under Raiganj Municipality, causing inconvenience to residents. Municipality administrator Sandip Biswas said: “Prompt action was taken to clear water and restore normalcy.”

Spells of rain for four consecutive days brought relief to Malda residents after days of scorching heat, but a brief Kalbaishakhi (Nor’wester) storm caused damage to mango orchards across the district. The sudden gusts led to a large number of immature mangoes falling from trees, raising concerns among farmers.

Reports of rain and storm came from areas like Harishchandrapur, Ratua, Manikchak, and English Bazar. While people welcomed the rain, cultivators were worried about crop loss. “The mangoes are still very small and need more time to mature. This storm has caused damage,” said farmer Mohammad Sabir Ali.

In several orchards, fallen mangoes were seen scattered, with locals collecting them. Farmers estimate losses of over 10 per cent in some areas. “There are fallen mangoes everywhere in the orchards. If such storms continue, losses will increase,” said Khariful Sheikh.

Biren Ghosh from Khasimari noted that heat had already weakened the crop. “Rain was needed, but the storm caused a setback,” he said. Despite this, traders remain hopeful. “Some damage has occurred, but we still expect a good yield this year,” said Ujjal Saha, president of the Malda Mango Merchants’ Association.

Continuous rainfall from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning left several parts of Balurghat town waterlogged, causing inconvenience to residents. Power outages were also reported in multiple areas during the night.

According to South Dinajpur meteorologist Suman Sutradhar, rising temperatures have contributed to increased lightning activity. “A one-degree rise in temperature increases the probability of lightning by 12 per cent. Over the past decade, temperatures have risen by two degrees, leading to frequent lightning whenever clouds form,” he said. Rainfall was recorded between 2 am and 4:25 am on Tuesday, accompanied by thunderstorms. Till 8:30 am, total rainfall stood at 68.2 mm. A weather alert remains in place until April 3, with moderate rainfall expected and a possible accumulation of up to 116 mm.

The storm and hailstorm have caused significant crop damage. Farmer Tilon Mondal said: “Boro paddy and crops like pointed gourd, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, radish, brinjal and chilli have been badly affected, along with mango cultivation.”

Source - https://www.millenniumpost.in