The death toll due to rain-related incidents in Kolkata and adjoining areas has reached 11. Water has receded from many areas in Kolkata and the suburbs, but some areas remain submerged. Bus and Metro services are running normally.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an ex gratia of two lakh rupees for the next of kin of the deceased persons. There is a forecast of scattered rainfall over Kolkata today.BJP and other opposition parties have criticised the Chief Minister for the deaths due to waterlogging-related electrocution.
Among the 10 dead in the rain-related incidents, most were electrocuted when they stepped out for their routine duties in the morning after overnight rains.
The transport network was heavily disrupted, with several cars breaking down on waterlogged roads and school pool car services getting cancelled. Many schools advised parents not to send their wards and offices declared work from home in the unprecedented situation.
Tuesday’s 251.4mm rainfall in 24 hours marked the city’s third-highest single-day rainfall in September, after 369.6 mm on September 28, 1978, and 259.5 mm on September 26, 1986. Considering all-time records throughout the year, this spell of rain is the city’s sixth-highest single-day total ever recorded.
Most of the rain, as much as 251.6 mm (9.9 inches) in 24 hours, fell during the early hours of Tuesday and was the heaviest witnessed in the city since 1988, said HR Biswas, the regional head of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Kolkata.