Kolkata, Sep 23 (NationPress) Following an unprecedented amount of rainfall, Kolkata and its neighboring regions were inundated with knee-deep water on Tuesday, severely interrupting daily activities. Authorities have confirmed that at least seven individuals lost their lives due to electrocution in the city.

Over 300 mm of rain fell across the area starting at 1 a.m. and persisted until early morning. Train and metro services faced significant disruptions, while traffic was completely immobilized as nearly every road became waterlogged.

The relentless rain led to widespread outages in electricity and Internet services throughout much of Kolkata and its suburbs.

Numerous Durga Puja mandaps suffered damage due to the heavy downpour, creating substantial challenges for organizers. Many homes and residential complexes were affected as roads became submerged.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is actively working to pump the water out of the city into the River Hooghly, having opened all lock gates since 4 a.m. However, rain continues to fall in several parts of Kolkata.

The Meteorological (MeT) office has warned of additional rain later in the day and in the coming days due to a low-pressure system developing over the northeast Bay of Bengal, which is expected to bring more heavy rain to various southern Bengal districts and Kolkata.

According to the KMC, the heaviest rainfall was recorded in the southern and eastern sections of the city, with Garia Kamdahari receiving 332 mm in just a few hours, followed closely by Jodhpur Park at 285 mm. Other areas such as Kalighat recorded 280 mm, Topsia 275 mm, and Ballygunge 264 mm, while Thantania in north Kolkata saw 195 mm.

Tragic reports of electrocution deaths have emerged from five locations within the city: Netaji Nagar, Kalikapur, Mominpur, Ballygunge Place in south Kolkata, and Beniapukur in the north.

The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation (CESC), which provides electricity to Kolkata, has disconnected power in several areas to avert further electrocution incidents.

As per Kolkata Traffic Police, roads that have never experienced flooding are now underwater. Efforts are underway to drain these areas, but the prolonged rains have delayed water receding. Water has also seeped into multiple medical colleges and hospitals in the city, with the road in front of SSKM Hospital submerged. Authorities assert that medical services remain unaffected.

Water accumulation on tracks has been reported in certain sections of the Sealdah Main Section of Eastern Railway, causing numerous trains to run late or face cancellations. The metro services are similarly impacted.

The KMC has released a list of areas with record rainfall totals up to 5 a.m.

Kamdahari (Garhia) - 332 mm, Jodhpur Park - 285 mm, Kalighat - 280.2 mm, Topsia - 275 mm, Ballygunge - 264 mm, Chetla - 262 mm, Mominpur - 234 mm, Chingrighata - 237 mm, Pamar Bazar - 217 mm, Dhapa - 212 mm, CPT Canal - 209.4 mm, Ultadanga - 207 mm, Kudghat - 203.4 mm, Pagladanga (Tangra) - 201 mm, Kuliya (Tangra) - 196 mm, and Thanthania - 195 mm.