https://arab.news/cuyx7
- City received more than 251.6 mm of rainfall in under 24 hours
- Elder residents have not seen such downpours since 1980s
NEW DELHI: The capital of India’s West Bengal state, Kolkata, was on alert on Wednesday after the worst rainfall in four decades left parts of the city submerged.
Residential areas and businesses across the city and its suburbs have struggled with severe waterlogging since Monday night. Key roads have been flooded and public transportation disrupted, bringing Kolkata to a standstill and forcing people to wade through water.
On Tuesday, the city received more than 251.6 mm of rainfall in fewer than 24 hours — the worst since 1986.
“That was also in the month of September. When you have 25 cm more rainfall in Kolkata it is quite unusual,” Dr. Habibur Rahman Biswas, the head of India Meteorological Department in Kolkata, told Arab News.
The heavy rainfall was caused by low pressure over the northeast Bay of Bengal.
“In such case, a large city like Kolkata, the impact on the public is greater,” added Biswas. “Had this low-pressure convergence happened in villages and other areas outside of the city, the impact could have been lesser.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on local TV she had “never seen such rain” and promised compensation for the families of at least eight people killed in flood-related incidents in the city.
The local media reported the number of casualties was likely higher.
“I learnt 10 people have died due to electrocution,” said Kaushik Das, a student at the University of Calcutta.
“Major parts of Kolkata are deep in water, with people not able to move. Though there is no rain today, water is still there on the streets ... It was something new for so much rain to fall. Kolkata looked like a big river.”
Older residents like retired government officer Debashis Bhattacharyya do not recall seeing such downpours since the 1980s.
“That time, heavy rain lashed not only Kolkata but the whole Bengal. This time, the rain was largely confined to the city,” he told Arab News.
“In the morning, when I looked outside, everything was flooded and part of the ground floor was also underwater ... The suburban areas are still waterlogged, and the city is struggling to regain its normalcy.”