At least 12 people have died in record rain floods Kolkata since Monday evening, September 22, 2025, primarily from electrocution and drowning in the eastern Indian metropolis, triggered by 251.6 mm of rain in 24 hours, the heaviest since 1988, exacerbating waterlogging and transport disruptions across the region.
Record rain floods Kolkata expose the escalating vulnerabilities of South Asia’s megacities to climate-amplified monsoons, where rapid urbanisation clashes with outdated drainage systems. With India facing a wetter September 2025 per IMD forecasts, such events strain resources in densely populated deltas like the Ganges-Brahmaputra, threatening livelihoods, festivals, and food security for millions while underscoring the urgent need for resilient infrastructure amid rising sea levels and erratic weather patterns.
Toll Rises in Record Rain Floods Kolkata
The record rain floods Kolkata began intensifying past midnight on Monday, September 22, 2025, as a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal intensified, dumping relentless sheets of water until early Tuesday morning, September 23, 2025. By midday Tuesday, the death toll stood at 12, with nine fatalities in Kolkata alone, according to police reports. Most victims succumbed to electrocution from exposed wires in flooded streets, while two drowned in swollen channels.
HR Biswas, regional head of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Kolkata, confirmed the deluge measured 251.6 mm over 24 hours, surpassing the previous benchmark from 1988 and ranking as the sixth-highest single-day total in 137 years of records. Southern suburbs bore the brunt, with Garia recording 332 mm, Jodhpur Park 285 mm, and Kalighat 280 mm, per Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) data. Northern areas like Thantania saw 195 mm, turning arterial roads into rivers.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, addressing the crisis on Tuesday afternoon, September 23, 2025, at 2:00 PM, described the rainfall as “unprecedented” and blamed inadequate dredging at the Farakka barrage for exacerbating inflows from upstream states. She directed the CESC power utility to provide jobs to families of the electrocution victims and urged residents to remain indoors until conditions eased.
Disruptions from Record Rain Floods Kolkata
Record rain floods Kolkata paralysed daily life, submerging key thoroughfares under waist-deep water and stranding thousands. Park Street, Salt Lake, and Gariahat markets—hubs for Durga Puja preparations—resembled lagoons, with commuters wading barefoot through murky pools clutching salvaged goods. Vehicles bobbed abandoned on viaducts, while ground-floor shops in Jodhpur Park and Netaji Nagar reported knee-deep inundations forcing hasty evacuations of furniture and stocks.
Transport networks crumbled under the onslaught. At Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, 30 flights were cancelled and 42 delayed by Tuesday evening, September 23, 2025, due to low visibility and runway risks, airport officials stated. Rail services halted on flooded tracks at Howrah and Sealdah stations, suspending the Circular Railway at Chitpur yard. Kolkata Metro’s Blue Line truncated operations, closing stretches between Shahid Khudiram and Maidan stations amid submerged platforms.
Power outages plagued multiple wards for hours, compounding hazards in the record rain floods Kolkata. The KMC deployed over 100 water pumps to clear railway lines and major roads, but high tides from the Hooghly River slowed progress, officials noted.
Human Stories Amid Record Rain Floods Kolkata
Residents voiced frustration over the sudden calamity. Sandip Ghosh, a local in Beniapukur, told ANI: “This should not have happened after four hours of rain. West Bengal is not in a good condition.” Ranjan Panda, a water and climate expert stranded at a hotel, added to ANI: “I got stranded in my hotel as my flight got cancelled and the roads were all waterlogged.”
The deluge struck just as artisans finalised clay idols for Durga Puja, set to commence on Friday, September 26, 2025. Videos showed half-built pandals collapsing under water weight in Behala and Lake Town, with soaked deity effigies floating debris-like. Banerjee announced school closures until Thursday, September 25, 2025, and festival holidays from Friday, prioritising relief distribution of food packets and tarpaulins.
Political and Relief Responses to Record Rain Floods Kolkata
The record rain floods Kolkata ignited a political row, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing the Trinamool Congress-led administration of corruption in drainage projects, sharing images of submerged streets on social media. Banerjee countered by appealing against politicisation: “The priority must be relief and safety for the people,” she said during a Tuesday press briefing.
Relief efforts mobilised swiftly. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed teams for urban search-and-rescue, focusing on low-lying areas like Topsia and Ballygunge. State emergency services distributed essentials, while the IMD issued an orange alert until Wednesday evening, September 24, 2025, forecasting easing conditions as the low-pressure area weakened. Authorities cautioned against receding waters, warning of hidden hazards like live wires.
Economic fallout loomed large, with traders estimating losses in lakhs from spoiled festival merchandise. Book stalls at College Street and garment outlets in Gariahat reported total inundation, halting pre-Puja sales that typically surge 30 per cent annually.
Background
Kolkata’s susceptibility to record rain floods Kolkata stems from its low-elevation delta geography and colonial-era drainage ill-suited for modern intensities. The 2013 amendment to the Disaster Management Act bolstered state responses, yet experts like Panda attribute recurring crises to lost wetlands and unchecked concretisation, which reduced natural absorption by 40 per cent since 1990, per urban studies.
Past events mirror this: September 23, 2007, saw similar 300 mm-plus deluges, while April 2017 floods highlighted systemic gaps. IMD’s September 2025 forecast of above-normal monsoon activity, driven by La Niña patterns, had prompted preemptive alerts, but the Bay of Bengal’s intensification caught many off-guard.
The 2025 spell, linked to a cyclonic circulation, aligns with broader South Asian trends, where 2024-25 saw 15 per cent excess rains, per government data, amplifying flood risks in vulnerable hubs like Mumbai and Chennai.
What’s Next After Record Rain Floods Kolkata
As pumps drain the deluge and skies clear by Thursday, September 25, 2025, recovery focuses on sanitising flood zones to avert disease outbreaks, with officials eyeing long-term upgrades to avert future record rain floods Kolkata amid a festival season now shadowed by grief and grit.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, September 24th, 2025
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