Heavy rain alert in Konkan-Goa, ghats till August 23

PUNE: Several factors, including the development of a wellmarked low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal which can turn into a depression by Thursday, have put isolated places in Konkan-Goa and the ghats of Madhya Maharashtra on a heavy to very heavy rainfall alert during the next five days beginning Wednesday.
Isolated places in Konkan-Goa could also get extreme heavy rainfall on August 22 and 23, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) cautioned on Wednesday. The IMD also sounded a “moderate flash flood risk” alert for Konkan-Goa till Thursday, Central Water Commission (CWC) officials said.
Heavy rain in Konkan-Goa, ghats likely till August 23
The Panchaganga and Krishna rivers continued to be in severe flood situation at two places in Kolhapur on Wednesday, as their water levels had reached within the “danger” and “highest flood level” marks, a CWC official said.
Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather, IMD, Pune, told TOI that several weather factors have triggered the latest warning: the monsoon trough being active and lying south of its normal position. “A cyclonic circulation over south Gujarat region in the mid-tropospheric levels is merged with the east-west sheer zone. There is also moderate convergence of strong moist southwesterly/westerly winds from the Arabian Sea over plains of northwest India and Central India at lower levels, which is likely to continue during the next three-four days,” he said.
“Besides, a well-marked low pressure area has formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal and its neighbourhood with associated cyclonic circulation extending up to 7.6km above the mean sea level and tilting southwestward with height. It is likely to gradually move westwards and concentrate into a depression during the next 24 hours. Under its influence, rainfall is likely to intensify yet again in parts of Maharashtra,” he said.
“The ghat areas of Pune district are also likely to get heavy to very heavy rain at isolated locations on some days till August 23. Rainfall in Pune city is likely to be mostly moderate during the next few days,” said Kashyapi.
The CWC stated in its ‘severe flood situation’ bulletin stated that the Panchganga at Terwad in Kolhapur district continued to flow in “severe situation” at 6am on Wednesday.