Heavy rain lashes Kolkata and outskirts, several areas inundated

Commuters had a harrowing time reaching their destinations as many areas in the metropolis, including Sector Five in Salt Lake, were left waterlogged. There was waterlogging in areas such as BT Road, Central Avenue, College Street, Amherst Street, EM Bypass, and the Haldiram junction on VIP Road too because of continuous rainfall. Due to a lack of proper drainage, several areas were under one to two feet of water by late afternoon. According to the weather department, the capital city received 63.6 mm rainfall in 24 hours.

Fewer buses and auto-rickshaws were seen plying the roads in the morning. A Kolkata Police traffic department official said the downpour led to traffic snarls on the city’s thoroughfares that lasted hours.

The heavy rains also affected flight operations, with a few private airlines advising passengers to start for the airport with time on their hands. “Due to waterlogging on account of heavy rains in Kolkata, traffic congestion is expected. Customers travelling are advised to allow more time for their journey to the airport,” Vistara airlines tweeted.

In the early hours of the day, the weather office had issued an orange warning for the districts of Purba Medinipur, North and South 24 Parganas, and Howrah, predicting heavy to very heavy rain (7-20 cm). A yellow warning was issued for Kolkata, Hooghly, Purba Bardhaman, Birbhum, Nadia, and Murshidabad. These districts were predicted to receive heavy rainfall (7-11 cm).