After a night of relentless rain, Kolkata, Salt Lake, and adjoining areas are waterlogged, resembling a flood-hit zone. Four people have died due to electrocution.
Water has entered the ground floors of many houses. Low-lying areas of the city and suburbs are completely inundated. Train services are disrupted as water has accumulated on railway tracks. Puja preparations across several areas have collapsed—unfinished stalls have caved in, while various equipment and materials have been washed away. Many residents say they have not witnessed such a disaster in recent memory. Speculation has already begun over whether this downpour was a case of “cloudburst.”
Residents remark that such heavy and continuous rainfall hasn’t been seen in recent times. Not only low-lying areas, but even localities that usually never see waterlogging have gone under water. Water has seeped into the ground floors of houses. In many places, electricity connections have been shut off by the residents themselves due to safety concerns. Cars parked on the streets and in garages have been submerged. Overnight, locals came forward to help the distressed. Some pushed vehicles to higher ground, while others escorted stranded people to safer shelters.
Weather forecasts had already warned of worsening conditions for the past two days. However, no one anticipated the situation turning so severe. The sheer amount of rainfall was beyond imagination. Rain began on Monday evening, and its intensity increased after midnight. For almost five hours, torrential rain continued nonstop, leading to rapid waterlogging in several low-lying areas. Some citizens believe that Durga Puja preparations—like materials for pandal construction being piled up—disrupted drainage systems in many places, and the downpour only made matters worse.
At daybreak, the intensity of the rain lessened, though it did not stop completely. The amount of rainfall was an alltime record for Kolkata. Certain parts of city received almost 330 mm rain in a span of 5 hours. Though officially according to Indian Meteorological Departments, Kolkata regional center, city has received 251 mm of rainfall.
Sadly this incident had led to deaths of four people due to electrocution in the city. In Netajinagar, a cyclist died of electrocution after accidentally touching an electric pole while riding. A similar electrocution death was reported in Kalikapur. Tragic incidents have also taken place in Ballygunge Place and Beniapukur. In some cases, bodies could not even be recovered immediately due to the waterlogging.
On Tuesday, the sky is expected to remain overcast with light to moderate rainfall. If heavy showers occur again, the crisis could deepen. A civic body source said that sluice gates were opened at 4 a.m. to release water, which might help. However, between 12 noon and 4 p.m., the gates will remain closed due to the river tide. If there is heavy rainfall during that period, the chances of relief are slim.