Kolkata woke up to chaos on Tuesday as heavy overnight rains turned the city and its suburbs into a watery mess. Knee-deep flooding hit streets everywhere, grinding daily life to a halt and claiming at least seven lives from electrocution.
The downpour started around 1 a.m. and dumped more than 300 mm of rain across Kolkata by early morning. Traffic came to a standstill with waterlogging on nearly every road, while trains on the Eastern Railway’s Sealdah section faced delays, cancellations, and even track flooding. Metro services also ground to a halt in many spots.
Power outages and internet blackouts affected large areas of the city and nearby neighborhoods. In a tough blow for festival season, heavy showers damaged several Durga Puja mandaps, frustrating organizers. Homes and apartment complexes flooded too, with water seeping into living spaces.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) jumped into action, pumping out water on an urgent basis and opening lock gates along the River Hooghly since 4 a.m. to speed up drainage. But rain kept falling in parts of the city, slowing their efforts.
Southern and eastern Kolkata took the brunt of the storm. Garia Kamdahari saw a whopping 332 mm of rain in hours, Jodhpur Park got 285 mm, Kalighat 280 mm, Topsia 275 mm, and Ballygunge 264 mm. Even northern areas like Thantania recorded 195 mm.
Tragedy struck when seven people died from electrocution in neighborhoods including Netaji Nagar, Kalikapur, Mominpur, Ballygunge Place, and Beniapukur. The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) quickly cut power in high-risk zones to stop more accidents.
Kolkata Traffic Police noted that even roads that usually stay dry now swam in water. Teams worked hard to clear the flooding, but the nonstop rain made it a slow go. Water even reached medical colleges and hospitals, like the road outside SSKM Hospital, though officials say patient care hasn’t suffered.
The weather office warns of more heavy rain ahead. A low-pressure system brewing in the northeast Bay of Bengal could bring downpours to Kolkata and several south Bengal districts in the coming days.
KMC’s early morning rainfall tally highlighted the extremes: Kamdahari (Garia) at 332 mm, Jodhpur Park at 285 mm, Kalighat at 280.2 mm, Topsia at 275 mm, Ballygunge at 264 mm, Chetla at 262 mm, Mominpur at 234 mm, Chingrighata at 237 mm, Pamar Bazar at 217 mm, Dhapa at 212 mm, CPT Canal at 209.4 mm, Ultadanga at 207 mm, Kudghat at 203.4 mm, Pagladanga (Tangra) at 201 mm, Kuliya (Tangra) at 196 mm, and Thanthania at 195 mm.
As cleanup continues, residents brace for another wet spell in this rain-soaked metropolis.
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