The mighty Mississippi River south of St. Louis is drying up because of drought

Tower Rock is a massive island in the middle of the Mississippi River south of St. Louis. It is usually surrounded by water and access to it is by boat. However, with the severe drought spreading across the Midwest, levels of rivers have literally touched rock bottom. It has reduced to such a level that people can now reach the rock formation on foot. Water levels could continue to drop for at least the next two weeks. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, it is possible to reach the Tower Rock on foot when the water level is below 1.5 feet. This level dripped to a near zero and there are no signs of any significant recovery. The US Drought Monitor cautions that more than 55 percent of the contiguous United States is in drought. More than 133 million people live in those drought-stricken areas – the biggest population affected since 2016. Severe drought covers large areas of Arkansas and Missouri. Many locations have seen record-low precipitation over the past few weeks. The forecast from the Climate Prediction Center indicates a dry weather with below-average rainfall in the outlook through at least October 23. The mighty Mississippi is so low, people are walking to a unique rock formation rarely accessible by foot. Drought situation in the central US affected the Mississippi River. In Memphis, it was at its lowest level since 2012 this week and fifth lowest on record. It could decline further.

There are more than 40 river gauges in the Mississippi River Basin. These are reporting low water levels, as per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Photos reveal the river has moved away from its banks. The mighty river resembles a trickle in some areas, with dry sand exposed where several feet of water usually flows. Such a situation at a crucial time of the year is undesirable for the transport of crops from the nation’s heartland. The authorities have undertaken dredging of the river to ensure movement of traffic. Hundreds of barges and vessels are in queue to pass through the treacherously low river.

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With a few days left for the Durga Puja, the markets and malls across the city of Kolkata wore a festive look. There were crowds of enthusiastic puja shoppers, many of them without masks. The focal points were in Gariahat, New Market and Hatibagan. People arrived early in the day and kept increasing as time passed. Many of the shopkeepers at these markets kept their shops open for a longer time to take advantage of the rush. Shops that sold clothes, jewelry, bags and crockery were a huge hit amongst the shoppers. Even the food stalls were kept busy making rolls and spiced cold drinks. The customers included both shoppers and passersby. Similar scenes were witnessed outside the Esplanade metro station with people making a beeline for New Market. As evening descended, the crowd grew in size. A senior official of South City Group said - “The Saturday footfall was around 1.2 lakh. Going by the trend till evening, today’s count should be more.” another official of Acropolis Mall, said the entire weekend saw an impressive turnout. “This week we have seen 3 per cent more footfall and sales than 2019.” Kolkata sees rush on last Sunday before Puja, malls crowded, restaurants chock-a-block.

There was heavy police bandobast to ensure that the traffic was on the move, especially at the Gariahat intersection. The civic volunteers lifted the nylon ropes to allow people to cross the roads. Once in a while, an officer would reprimand a jaywalking pedestrian. In places like Gariahat and New Market, the pavements were jam packed with not an inch of space on the pavements. Restaurants near the shopping hubs did roaring business and witnessed a never-ending queue of people. Similar was the experience on Park Street. Obviously, there was happiness all around. A restaurant in Deshapriya Park had several people waiting outside, in queue. As the director of a restaurant admitted - “Our outlets in New Market and Hatibagan have been witnessing a rush even during the lean hours. Basically, there is no lean hour.”

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Huge sea waves damage a portion of the Marine Drive between Digha and Mandarmani

The 16-Km long Marine Drive between the popular sea beaches Digha and Mandarmani includes three bridges. Completed a few months ago, chief minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to inaugurate it. However, huge waves have damaged a portion of the Marine Drive just three days before the inauguration. It seems a well-marked low-pressure area over the west-central and northwest Bay of Bengal intensified into a “deep depression.” This led to a turbulent sea. Cyclone Yaas had washed away a portion in May last year. That led to the construction of a metal road. Mamata Banerjee was expected to visit riding vehicles during the proposed inauguration on September 14. However, heavy rainfall in the last week of August led to damages making it difficult for the movement of traffic. It was repaired but was again damaged by strong sea waves. Waves damage stretch of Marine Drive at Digha. A senior official of the district administration said: “The Marine Drive will be inaugurated informally by the chief minister on September 14 as scheduled during her administrative meeting. But her visit to and ride at the Marine Drive has been postponed for obvious reasons.”

The police administration had “strictly prohibited” sea bathing in Digha and adjacent areas until Tuesday. Other popular sea beaches like Bakkhali, and Kakdwip were closed to tourists. Local sources informed about damages to agricultural production on large areas due to inundation. Irrigation department informed about damages to earthen dykes along many rivers. These included the Kalindi, Gourseshwar, Ichhamati, and the Choto Kalaghachi. The irrigation department has undertaken repair of the dykes on priority.

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Tala Bridge, the lifeline of North Kolkata, to reopen before the Pujas

The Tala Bridge, built in 1983, was designed to carry a load of 150 tons. In view of the need to carry more load, a new cable-stayed bridge is ready to be reopened before the forthcoming Durga Pujas. The carrying capacity of the new 650 meter long bridge will increase to nearly 365 tons. A stretch of 240 meters of the new bridge will hang in the air above the cable. The design of this railway bridge will be in the Majherhat style. Moreover, the new bridge will be a four-lane one with sidewalk on both sides. Earlier it was a three-lane bridge. Once thrown open to the public the speed of traffic will increase and improve the link between North Kolkata and portions of South Bengal. The demolition of the old bridge began from the night of January 31, 2020. New Tala bridge will be ready before Puja. The Railway Board approved the new design on 22 December of that year, and construction began in January 2021.

After the construction of the bridge, the safety commissioner of the railways will have to carry out inspection. In view of the length of the bridge which is nearly 650 meters, there will be steps to get own at Shyambazar, Chitpur and Sinthi. Incidentally, there are no pillars and the bridge hangs on cables. The Public Works Department is working to complete the drainage infrastructure in the area below the bridge. The authorities have plans to present the new Tala Bridge to the people of South Bengal before the Pujas.

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This happened in 1979. It was Mahalaya – a day when people pay respect to their parents who are no longer with them. It would be a first time for me because I had lost my father the previous year. Therefore, I decided to drive on my scooter to Ram Kund in Nashik. This place is on the River Godavari and considered a holy place. On days like this, there are innumerable priests available to perform the rituals. One of my friends wanted to accompany me. He, like me, had also lost his father the previous year. We decided to leave our township by 6am, drive down to Ram Kund, carry out the tarpan and be back by 6.45 am. That way we could return in time to attend our duties at 7am.

At such an early hour of the day, the traffic on the highway was less. It was the Mumbai-Delhi National Highway No 3 – and it had only two lanes. Today, it is an 8-lane highway. Anyway, we reached the holy spot, did the tarpan and began our journey back. It was the start of another day and traffic had increased on the road. I was driving the scooter and as I approached our township, I saw a truck ahead of me. It was moving at a slow speed and I wanted to overtake it. As I edged out towards the right, I saw another truck coming from the opposite direction. Instinctively, I tried to squeeze into the space between the two trucks – and succeeded. Of course, the drivers let out expletives and I did not wait to hear them out. I had to hurry because the time was nearly 7am! I added this incident into the category of other similar near-death incidents in my life.


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