Kolkata’s Durga Puja celebrations are unlikely to face disruption from heavy rain, with the Alipore Met office forecasting light and scattered showers during Panchami and Shashthi, followed by drier conditions for the remaining festival days. Puja organisers, however, have prepared elevated platforms, tarpaulin covers and visitor shelters to reduce the impact of wet ground and rainfall.
The city experienced partly cloudy conditions and scattered rain in several areas on Wednesday. According to H R Biswas, head of the weather forecast section at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata, similar light rain could continue for the next two days, but there is no indication of a major weather system developing over the Bay of Bengal in the next 10 days.
“There is no indication of any big weather system in the Bay of Bengal in the next 10 days that could threaten Durga Puja celebrations. There is no possibility of heavy rain. Whatever rain we expect in the next two days is likely to be similar to what we had on Wednesday,” Biswas said.
The current rainfall has been attributed to a trough line and an easterly wave. The Met office said the intensity, duration and distribution of the rain would not be sufficient to wash out the festivities. Rainfall is expected to decrease after Panchami and Shashthi, with the rest of the Puja period likely to remain dry.
At Mohammad Ali Park, organisers took precautions after inaugurating the pandal on Wednesday. Surender Sharma, secretary of the Youth Association, said the group had procured tarpaulin sheets to cover the pandal and other areas if rain intensified. The organisers also installed raised platforms for visitors and focused on keeping the ground safe while protecting the idol, installations and electrical control systems.
At Chetla Agrani, organisers have built a wooden platform across the visitor area, raised three feet above the ground. Suvendu Samanta, the puja committee’s secretary, said the arrangement was intended to reduce the risk of waterlogging and prevent visitors from having to walk through muddy ground.
Bhagabati Park Sarbojanin Durga Puja has created a covered shelter outside its pandal for visitors seeking protection from rain. The organisers also replaced some planned cloth elements in outdoor installations with plywood, according to secretary Anik Acharya, to limit the risk of damage from wet weather.
The measures reflect the practical challenges faced by large temporary public installations during Kolkata’s festival season, particularly the need to manage slippery or waterlogged approaches while protecting electrical systems and decorative structures. For now, the forecast indicates that scattered rain may affect individual visits, but heavy rainfall is not expected to disrupt the celebrations.
