Kolkata and its surrounding areas received the highest rainfall in 37 years during a non-stop six-hour spell between Monday midnight and Tuesday morning which left the 335-year-old city inundated and at least eight dead due to accidental electrocution, government officials said. Two similar deaths were reported from the adjacent districts of North and South 24 Parganas.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said the rate of rainfall was only 2 mm short of a cloud burst. Kolkata received 98 mm of rain every hour. IMD declares a cloud burst when the figure is 100 mm an hour.
The situation prompted chief minister Mamata Banerjee to announce early puja holidays for state-run schools. She directed colleges and universities to hold online classes and advised government officials to work from home for the next two days to avert any further accidents. Banerjee urged private schools and offices to follow suit.
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“I received the news of five deaths. It is very unfortunate. People are advised to stay indoors,” said Banerjee in the morning. She also cancelled some of her puja inaugurations as several pandals were submerged. She was expected to virtually inaugurate some pandals in the state’s other parts.
One Kolkata-Pune flight was diverted to Bhubaneshwar as flight operations remained largely normal. The Eastern Railways were forced to cancel five express trains and reschedule one.
{{/usCountry}}One Kolkata-Pune flight was diverted to Bhubaneshwar as flight operations remained largely normal. The Eastern Railways were forced to cancel five express trains and reschedule one.
{{/usCountry}}Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim said parts of Kolkata received over 300mm of rain in just five hours. “It was almost like a cloudburst. It is scary and unprecedented. We have opened the gates so that water can drain out. But as even the canals, which crisscross the city, are all full to the brim, it is not helping.”
A Kolkata Police officer said at least five persons were killed in the city’s Kalikapur, Netaji Nagar, Patuli, Beniapukur, and Ballygunge.
The IMD said around 48 mm of rain was recorded between 11:30pm (Monday) and 2:30am (Tuesday). The intensity shot up in the next three hours with around 185 mm of rain between 2:30am and 5:30am.
IMD’s Alipore station recorded around 251.4 mm of rain, the highest in the city since August 24, 1988, when Kolkata registered 253 mm of rainfall.
An IMD official said a low-pressure system developed over the Bay of Bengal on Monday morning and moved to coastal West Bengal and adjoining Odisha, triggering the rain. A fresh low-pressure area is likely to form over the northwest and adjoining central Bay of Bengal around September 25.