Cyclone Dana Leaves 1 Dead In West Bengal; Waterlogging Brings Kolkata To A Halt

Kolkata: Odisha managed to achieve its zero-casualty objective, but West Bengal was not so lucky.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee informed newspersons on Friday afternoon that one person died in West Bengal amid Cyclone Dana.

The death was reported from Patharpratima, in North 24 Parganas district.

“Only one person died in this natural disaster. The man died at his residence while conducting some cable-related work. It is very unfortunate. The postmortem examination will give us a clear picture. If required we (state government) will help the family,” Mamata said.

The severe cyclonic storm, which made landfall after midnight at Odisha’s Damra and Bhitarnika, caused heavy rainfall in several districts of Odisha and West Bengal.

Several parts of Kolkata faced severe waterlogging on Friday morning. Torrential rain continued till afternoon and beyond, with 100 mm of rainfall recorded till 11.30 am over the last 24 hours.

Traffic movement was hampered as there was knee-deep water on several roads throughout the city. Residential areas in south and north Kolkata faced hardship as water entered many low-lying homes. Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) had to deploy dozens of pumps to drain out rainwater.

“This is a low-lying area and there is waterlogging every time there is heavy rain. Can’t blame anyone, have to accept nature’s fury,” the 77-year-old Roy told ABP Ananda.

Several pockets in Bhawanipur, New Market, Hazra, Park Circus and Behala in the south, and Esplanade, Central Avenue, Thanthania Kalibari, Mahatma Gandhi Road, VIP Road, Dum Dum, New Town in central, northern and eastern parts of Kolkata were flooded.

There was water inside the KMC headquarters in Esplanade area, as well as major state-run hospitals. Patients, staff and health workers were seen wading through ankle-deep water inside National Medical College & Hospital and SSKM Hospital.