Guwahati: Torrential overnight rains left a trail of devastation across Kolkata and its suburbs on Monday, claiming several lives in rain-related incidents and plunging the city into chaos. Waterlogging crippled movement in central and southern neighbourhoods including Beniapukur, Kalikapur, Netaji Nagar, Gariahat, and Ekbalpur, where fatalities were reported.
Daily life came to a standstill as road traffic, suburban train services, and even Metro operations were severely hit. Water gushed into homes in low-lying areas, damaging property and forcing multiple schools to shut down for the day.
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According to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, the southern and eastern parts of the city bore the brunt of the deluge. Garia Kamdahari recorded an unprecedented 332 mm of rainfall in just a few hours, while Jodhpur Park logged 285 mm, Kalighat 280 mm, Topsia 275 mm, and Ballygunge 264 mm.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the heavy showers to a low-pressure system developing over the Bay of Bengal. With meteorologists warning of more rain in the coming hours, anxiety is mounting as the city prepares for Durga Puja, its biggest festival of the year.
The flooding also affected air travel. Airlines including Air India and IndiGo issued advisories, urging passengers to check flight updates and allow extra travel time due to inundated roads near Kolkata airport. Visuals from the airport showed standing water on the tarmac, sparking concern among travellers arriving for the festive season.
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Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim described the scale of flooding as unprecedented. “There is so much water in my locality too, I’ve never seen anything like this before. We are providing food and shelter to those affected, and if the rain stops, we hope to restore normalcy by tonight,” he said.
Meanwhile, Durga Puja organisers are racing to protect pandals from water damage, as fears grow that months of artistic work could be undone by the relentless rain.
