KOLKATA — Kolkata is struggling to drain floodwaters after a record downpour, with city officials citing high river levels as a major obstacle to relief efforts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has dismissed claims of a cloudburst, attributing the unprecedented rainfall to a “cloud shift.”
Drainage Overwhelmed by Torrential Rains
Mayor Firhad Hakim stated that despite extensive efforts, water was being drained out slowly. Tarak Singh, who heads the drainage department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), explained that the high volume of water in the river during low tide prevented effective drainage.
“Hardly any water could be drained out in the morning, although we used around 900 pumps,” Singh said. As a result, only about six inches of accumulated water receded in several areas, including Ballygunge and Palmerbazar, even four and a half hours after the rain stopped.
Rainfall data highlights the scale of the event. The city received 185.6 mm of rain in just three hours, far exceeding its drainage capacity of 10-12 mm per hour. Southern Kolkata bore the brunt of the downpour, with Garia recording the highest precipitation at 340 mm over a 24-hour period.
Experts Disagree on ‘Cloudburst’ Cause
The cause of the downpour has sparked a debate among experts. Geographer Nairwita Bandopadhyay claimed the heavy rainfall was due to a cloudburst from a low-pressure system.
However, Habibur Rahaman Biswas, head of IMD Alipore, refuted this. He explained that a cloudburst requires rainfall of 100 mm or more per hour, a threshold that was not met. He stated that the cloud was much smaller than what is typically found in cloudburst cases. Instead, Biswas attributed the record rainfall to a “cloud shift,” where a cloud system intended for south Bengal disintegrated and moved toward Kolkata, triggering the unexpected downpour. The IMD had predicted only 115 mm of rain for the city.
Rain Predicted for Durga Puja
Looking ahead, the IMD chief has forecasted more rain in the days leading up to and during the city’s iconic Durga Puja festival. While he expects stronger rainfall on September 27 and 28, he assured that it would not be as heavy as the recent downpour. The rain is anticipated due to a cyclonic circulation forming near the Myanmar coast, which is expected to move toward Odisha and bring precipitation to coastal West Bengal and Kolkata.