Kolkata under water: Durga Puja begins amid historic rain

Record rainfall has submerged streets and flooded pandals across Kolkata just as Durga Puja begins.

Transcript

00:00These are the scenes from Kolkata's Maa flyover, completely waterlogged.

00:10Cars stranded, traffic has come to a standstill and the streets below have turned into rivers.

00:15The rain started on the evening of 22nd September and did not let up all night, leaving large parts of the city submerged.

00:22Kolkata received 247.5 mm of rain in just 24 hours, the heaviest September rainfall in 14 years.

00:29Not since 2007, when the city saw 174 mm in a single day, has the city been hit this hard.

00:41The downpour has put Kolkata's drainage system to the test.

00:44Many drains and canals could not cope, overflowing into streets and low-lying areas, while homes and roads got flooded.

00:51It really highlighted how vulnerable the city still is to extreme rainfall

00:55and why improvements to the drainage system are so urgently needed.

00:59The rain has not spared Durga Puja, the festival that brings the city to life.

01:03In many neighbourhoods, pandals were flooded, bamboo frames weakened, fiberglass entrances collapsed and months of decorations were ruined.

01:11Volunteers and organisers worked through the night, pumping out water and covering idols to try and save the celebrations.

01:17Still, devotees came, often wading from knee-deep water to offer their prayers.

01:22Unfortunately, the rain also had a tragic side.

01:24At least five people died from electrocution in areas like Binya Pukur, Goryahat, Iqbalpur and Bihala.

01:31Schools were closed, metro services were halted and traffic crawled through waterlogged streets, affecting lacks of residents.

01:38Even with all this, the city is pushing through.

01:41This Durga Puja will be remembered not just for its artistry and devotion, but also for the heaviest September rainfall in 14 years

01:48and for the spirit of Kolkata that refuses to be washed away.

01:52I'm Manish Adhikari.

01:54First things fast.