Kolkata, Sept. 2 -- Kolkata woke to a deluge on Wednesday, with 129.8mm of rain recorded in 24 hours till morning - the season's highest so far. The downpour, which began Monday night and persisted through Tuesday and Wednesday, left several parts of the city waterlogged and threw normal life out of gear.

Waterlogging was reported from Golpark, Loudon Street, Rowdon Street, Theatre Road, among other areas. From noon to 4 pm, Sealdah-Palmer Bridge recorded 87 mm, followed by Alipore 69 mm, Topsia 46 mm, Ballygunge 44 mm, Mominpur 43 mm and Belgachia 42 mm.

The KMC activated drainage pumps and deployed portable units across North and South Kolkata. The control room monitored the situation, while officials said most stagnant water had been drained by evening.

Moreover, the Damodar basin is staring at a flood threat, with DVC releasing 99,800 cusecs by noon on Wednesday and the Durgapur Barrage discharging 96,900 cusecs at 11am. The latter is expected to cross 1 lakh cusecs later in the day. DVC has issued a Yellow Flood Alert amid relentless rain, with Maithon and Panchet together releasing around 50,795 cusecs.

The lower Damodar Valley is most at risk, with low-lying areas of Howrah, Hooghly and Purba Burdwan facing possible inundation. Jamalpur, Raina, Khandaghosh, Arambagh, Khanakul, Pursurah, Udaynarayanpur and Amta are particularly vulnerable.

The rain has claimed three lives in Bankura. Beli Ruidas, 76, died after a mud wall collapsed on her at Sonamukhi's Kundpushkarini, while a couple, Palaku and Soma Baskey, died when their house wall collapsed as they slept in Kushtora village, Simlapal.

Waterlogging submerged four Bolpur wards, and the Bhadul bridge in Bankura, affecting around 20 villages, while the Tarafeni and Dulong rivers inundated roads and the Chilkigarh causeway in Jhargram.

Meanwhile, Kolkata had recorded 19 per cent surplus rainfall for August, with the seasonal surplus at 10 per cent two days earlier. The latest spell is expected to push the figures further up.

The weather office has forecast heavy to very heavy rain in several South Bengal districts on Thursday.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.