7 dead as heavy rain sinks Kolkata amid Durga Puja buzz: 'What just happened'
Kolkata rains: Several areas, including Park Street, Salt Lake saw knee-deep waterlogging after rain that brought traffic, public transport to a grinding halt.
Parts of West Bengal's Kolkata were heavily waterlogged on Tuesday, September 23, after heavy overnight rain lashed the city amid Durga Puja fervour. At least seven people died of electrocution in rain-hit areas of Kolkata, officials said.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to describe the downpour as “unprecedented” as several areas in and around Kolkata, including Jadavpur, Baghajatin, Salt Lake, Golf Green, saw knee-deep waterlogging that brought traffic, public transport and daily life to a grinding halt. Follow Kolkata rain news updates
CM Mamata Banerjee declared Durga Puja holidays in state-run educational institutions two days ahead of schedule.
IndiGo and Air India issued travel advisories for their passengers on Tuesday, warning that flight operations may get hit due to the heavy rain.
‘What just happened’
The heavy rain and waterlogging comes just days before Durga Puja festival, one of the most important festivals for Bengalis, begins fully and pandals across the city and other parts of West Bengal open for the public.
Many Kolkata residents likened the overnight rain to a downpour similar to a "cloudburst", saying that something like this has not been witnessed in years.
“Unbelievable scenes from Ballygunge Phari near Birla Mandir. In the last 20 years I’ve never seen flooding like this in this area. Climate, drainage or sheer negligence,” a user wrote on X.
Another user's perplexity could be felt in their post. “What just happened #Kolkata! Deluge. 300 mm+ rain overnight…As per WOK, history repeats itself. Last such floods were on September 23, 2007,” the user said in the post.
Knee-to-waist-deep water and traffic snarls were also reported at key intersections such as Park Circus, Gariahat, Behala, and College Street.
Initially, Kolkata mayor and state urban development minister Firhad Hakim said information of four deaths due to electrocution in different places in the city was received. The toll later went up to seven, PTI news agency reported.
Four of those who lost their lives were identified as Firoz Ali Khan (50) of Beniapukur, Pranatosh Kundu (62) of Netaji Nagar, and Mumtaz Bibi (70) of Ekbalpur, besides an unidentified person in Gariahat.
Train and Metro Railway services were disrupted in the city and suburbs due to the waterlogging of tracks, officials said.
Many houses and residential complexes in the city were inundated after roads the rain that started past midnight flooded the roads.
Traffic snarls were reported on EM Bypass, AJC Bose Road and Central Avenue, while several smaller lanes in south and central Kolkata were completely cut off due to waist-deep water, PTI reported. Reports of buses breaking down mid-way, while taxis and app cabs either staying off the roads or charging exorbitant fares also came in.
Schools closed
Many Kolkata schools declared a holiday owing to the very heavy downpour and waterlogged streets on Tuesday. More downpour is expected in the city as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that a low-pressure area over the northeast Bay of Bengal is likely to bring heavy rain in several south Bengal districts.
The intensity of rain was higher in the southern and eastern parts of the city, with Garia Kamdahari recording 332 mm of rain in just a few hours, followed by Jodhpur Park at 285 mm, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said. Kalighat recorded 280 mm of rain, Topsia 275 mm, Ballygunge 264 mm, while Thantania in north Kolkata received 195 mm of rain, the PTI news agency report quoted IMD officials as saying.
The IMD said Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Bankura districts in South Bengal are expected experience heavy rainfall till Wednesday.
The weather department said another fresh low-pressure area is likely to form over the east-central and adjoining north Bay of Bengal around September 25.
