At least nine people died in rain-related incidents in Kolkata and its suburbs as heavy rains triggered waterlogging and traffic jams in several areas in the city. The deaths were reported in separate incidents in Beniapukur, Kalikapur, Netaji Nagar, Gariahat and Ekbalpur. These areas are spread across the central and southern parts of Kolkata.
Because of the heavy rains, the waterlogging disrupted traffic movement, as well as suburban rail and Metro services. In many low-lying parts of the city, water came inside homes and damaged property. Several schools have declared a holiday in the city on Wednesday.
Train and Metro Railway services disrupted
Train and Metro Railway services were disrupted in the city and suburbs owing to waterlogging of tracks, officials said.
A Metro Railway Kolkata spokesperson said in order to ensure passengers' safety, services have been suspended between Shahid Khudiram and Maidan stations since morning hours.
"Truncated services are being run between Dakshineswar and Maidan stations," he said, adding that normal services are expected to be resumed soon.
Owing to waterlogging of tracks, train movement in the Sealdah south section has been suspended, while skeleton services are being run in the Sealdah north and main sections, an Eastern Railway official said.
Train services have been partially affected to and from Howrah and Kolkata terminal stations of Eastern Railway as tracks got waterlogged owing to heavy downpour, he said. Train movement in the Circular Railway line has also been suspended due to waterlogging at Chitpur yard, he added.
School holiday declared in Kolkata
Many schools have declared a holiday in the wake of very heavy downpour and waterlogged streets. Office-goers were having a tough time reaching their destinations because of lack of public transport and traffic snarls.
The intensity of rain was higher in the southern and eastern parts of the city, with Garia Kamdahari recording 332 mm of rain in just a few hours, followed by Jodhpur Park at 285 mm, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) said.
Kalighat recorded 280 mm of rain, Topsia 275 mm, Ballygunge 264 mm, while Thantania in north Kolkata received 195 mm of rain, they added.
IMD predicts more rains for Kolkata
The city is bracing for more downpour as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that a low-pressure area over the northeast Bay of Bengal is likely to bring heavy rain in several south Bengal districts. The weather office said heavy rainfall is likely to occur in Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, Jhargram and Bankura districts in South Bengal till Wednesday.
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