Due to waterlogging that left streets inaccessible and cars trapped in knee-to-waist-deep water, overnight rains inundated houses and highways, stopping traffic and necessitating school vacations.
Heavy overnight downpour produced significant waterlogging, which stopped traffic, public transportation, and everyday life across the city on Tuesday. Officials stated that at least 10 people perished in rain-hit Kolkata, mostly from electrocution.
Heavy rain that began after midnight inundated the city’s roadways and apartment buildings, leaving cars stuck for hours in knee-to-waist-deep water at important crossroads including Park Circus, Gariahat, Behala, and College Street.
Following the records of 369.6 mm in 1978, 253 mm in 1888, and 259.5 mm in 1986, the deluge, which totaled 251.4 mm in less than 24 hours, was the largest since 1986 and the sixth-highest single-day rainfall in the previous 137 years.
Firhad Hakim, the state’s minister of urban development and the mayor of Kolkata, told PTI that teams from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) were working nonstop to remove the water from the majority of the city.
“Our cops are putting in a lot of effort. However, the rivers and canals are overflowing with water, and as more is draining out, more enters the city. We worry that the high tide would make it more difficult for us to remove the surplus water from the city. The situation will likely improve by ten of the clock in the evening, according to Hakim.
Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister, called the rain “unusual” and criticized the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC) for its “lapses” and inadequate dredging of Farakka.
“CESC, not us, provides the electricity. They have an obligation to prevent individuals from suffering as a result. They will not modernize here, but they will do business here? “They need to send someone to the field and resolve this,” she said.
Most major routes saw significant traffic disruptions, leaving cars stuck in knee-to-waist-deep water for hours at important crossroads including Park Circus, Gariahat, Behala, and College Street.
AJC Bose Road, Central Avenue, and the EM Bypass all had lengthy traffic jams, while waist-deep water totally blocked down a number of minor roads in south and central Kolkata.
While taxis and app cabs either kept off the roads or charged outrageous fees, commuters reported that buses were breaking down in the middle.
Services on the Blue Line (Dakshineswar Shahid Khudiram) were immediately suspended due to severe waterlogging that was observed in the middle portion, namely between Mahanayak Uttam Kumar and Rabindra Sarobar stations.
According to a Metro Railway Kolkata spokeswoman, services between Shahid Khudiram and Maidan stations have been halted since the morning to protect the safety of passengers. He said, “Truncated services are being run between Dakshineswar and Maidan stations,” and that regular services should soon return.
While skeletal services are being operated in the Sealdah north and main portions, train operation in the Sealdah south section has been halted due to waterlogging of the rails, according to an Eastern Railway official.
The Eastern Railway’s Howrah and Kolkata terminal stations have seen a minor disruption in train services due to flooded tracks caused by the severe precipitation, he added.
He further said that waterlogging at Chitpur yard has forced the suspension of train operation on the Circular Railway line.
Air travel suffered as well. There were 31 delayed flights and at least 30 canceled flights.
State education minister Bratya Basu declared that all government-run educational institutions would be closed on September 24 and 25 in response to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s call to avoid waterlogged roads to prevent electrocution accidents and to instruct holidays in schools or switch to online learning.
“The state is in an unparalleled state of catastrophe. All educational institutions will remain closed tomorrow and the day following, which is September 24 and 25, in accordance with the chief minister’s recommendation to provide assistance to our pupils in the present circumstance and to prevent mishaps,” Basu wrote on X.
In order to fulfill their critical and unfinished jobs, he asked all teachers and non-teaching personnel involved in the education sector to work from home during this disaster.
Jadavpur University and Calcutta University have temporarily halted their academic operations.
As the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that a low-pressure system over the northeast Bay of Bengal is expected to deliver heavy rain to various districts in south Bengal, the city is preparing for further rain.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said that the rain was more intense in the southern and eastern regions of the city, with Garia Kamdahari receiving 332 mm of rain in a few hours and Jodhpur Park receiving 285 mm.
They also noted that Thantania in north Kolkata had 195 mm of rain, while Kalighat recorded 280 mm, Topsia 275 mm, and Ballygunge 264 mm.
Up until Wednesday, the meteorological office predicted that South Bengal’s Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram, and Bankura districts will have a lot of rain. Around September 25, it predicted that a new low-pressure system will likely emerge over the east-central and adjacent north Bay of Bengal.