Indian states, including Bengal, which share borders with Bhutan, have started receiving weather forecasts of the next 72 hours from the meteorological authorities of the neighbouring country from June 26.
“So far, Bhutanese authorities have just shared rainfall data with us. But since Thursday, they have started sharing the weather forecast of their country for the next 72 hours. This will largely help us in mitigating the damage caused by rivers that flow into north Bengal from Bhutan. Based on the forecast, arrangements can be made to tackle a flash flood,” said Krishnendu Bhowmik, the chief engineer (northeast) of the state irrigation department.
Bengal apart, Bhutan shares borders with Sikkim, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. “The National Center for Hydrology & Meteorology (NCHM), based in Bhutan's Thimphu, is sharing the data. It is a major development as we have been pursuing such information sharing for years,” Bhowmik added.
The NCHM is an autonomous scientific and technical organisation in Bhutan. It is the nodal agency that provides information on the mountainous country's weather and climate.
Bengal irrigation department officials pointed out that around 72 rivers and streams, including prominent rivers like Jaldhaka and Torsha, descend from Bhutan to this state.
During monsoons, these rivers often swell and cause flash floods in the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts, swamping human habitats, tea plantations and forest areas.
“Time and again, our chief minister (Mamata Banerjee) stressed the need for a joint river commission with Bhutan to address these issues. The Bhutan government used to share rainfall data with the bordering districts of India, but that did not give us much time to mitigate the damage in the downstream or prevent floods,” said a Jalpaiguri district administration official.
“But now that we will have the forecast for three days, we can make preparations and pass alerts in blocks and areas concerned to reduce the impact of flash floods,” the official added.
The NCHM, sources said, is sharing the weather forecast of areas such as Samtse, Phuentsholing, Dagana, Tsirang and Sarpang in the southern and western parts of Bhutan and share borders with India.
“Along with Bengal, similar information is also shared with the other three states which share borders with Bhutan,” said a source.