A day after calamitous rain, many parts of Calcutta were still struggling with its aftermath. In waterlogged neighbourhoods, several residents were forced to abandon their homes, many without electricity, water, or mobile connectivity.
From Survey Park to Ballygunge and New Alipore, people packed bags, waded through filthy floodwaters, and moved in with friends or checked into hotels and clubs. Metro spoke to some of them.
Devjani Ghosal
Homemaker
Udita Housing Complex,
Survey Park
For Devjani Ghosal, 63, a dialysis patient, there was no option but to leave. On Wednesday morning, she had to climb down 10 floors and wade through waist-deep water to reach an ambulance that refused to enter the flooded housing complex.
“The ambulance told me to cancel the trip, but how could I? My wife needed dialysis,” said Joydeep Ghosal, 66, a tourism professional. Devjani undergoes dialysis four times a week — her next session is due on Saturday.
“It took us nearly 30 minutes to walk 300m to the gate,” he said. “I’m 6ft tall and the water was almost knee-high. We are not returning until things are back to normal.” The couple have temporarily moved to the outskirts of the city.
The Udita complex had been without power since 2am on Tuesday. “The lifts are not working. It feels like we’re stranded in a high-rise,” Ghosal said.
Amita Prasad
Director, Manovikas
Kendra
Ballygunge Place
Amita Prasad, a history teacher, was reminded of “refugee stories” as she and her husband left their Ballygunge Place apartment with barely anything and shifted to Tollygunge Club.
“There was no warning. With cyclones, we at least have forecasts and time to prepare. But this hit us without notice,” said Prasad. Power was cut around 3.30am on Tuesday, and they were running out of water. Their phones were dead, and they had no idea what condition their cars were in.
Tuesday night was “pitch dark” and “frightening.” “There was pin drop silence, interrupted only by car burglar alarms going off,” she said.
They contacted multiple tour agencies for transport, but none agreed to enter the flooded Ballygunge Place. “Some stretches here had chest-deep water,” she said. Eventually, a friend picked them up in her Bolero on Wednesday morning. “Thankfully, the car didn’t stop.”
The stark contrast was hard to miss. “Tollygunge Club was bone dry,” Prasad said.
Seema Sapru
Principal, The Heritage School
Udita, Survey Park
Seema Sapru’s home had been without electricity for over 40 hours. The taps were dry, and drinking water was running out.
On Wednesday morning, her driver arrived through waist-deep water with bottles of drinking water and took their phones to charge in the school. “He returned around 2pm,” said Sapru.
The floodwater around their premises had barely receded by Wednesday afternoon. “Our cars are half-submerged. A part of the perimeter wall collapsed on some vehicles,” she said. Her husband wanted to inspect his car, but she dissuaded him. “It’s too risky in that stagnant, filthy water.”
The generator couldn’t be accessed either — it was underwater.
Devesh Srivastava
Businessman
Hiland Sapphire,
Ballygunge Park Road
On Tuesday, Devesh Srivastava’s BMW X5 was submerged up to the steering wheel. “There was no way to move the car. Apparently, insurance companies need video proof, but reaching the car is impossible,” he said.
On a video call with Metro, Srivastava showed the dark, flooded basement. The access stairwell was submerged. “About 40 cars have been underwater for 35 to 40 hours,” he said.
Devesh Srivastava’s submerged BMW X5
Srivastava moved to ITC Royal Bengal late on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he returned to Ballygunge Park Road to assess the damage. “Many elderly residents are stranded. Food and water have to be sent to them,” he said.
While surface water had receded, the underground reservoir might be contaminated. “Until that’s cleaned, we can’t run the water pumps,” Srivastava said.
Manish Dalmia
Businessman
Mani Tower, New Alipore
Manish Dalmia acted early. On Tuesday morning, he shifted his family — wife and two children — to ITC Royal Bengal.
“We woke up to flooded basements and no power. No milkman, no newspaper. We realised even emergency services might not be available,” said Dalmia.
He and his daughter had to report to work, and his son was preparing for half-yearly exams. “It would not have been possible to study in candlelight. We later learned the exam had been postponed,” he said.
“One doesn’t like to abandon one’s home, but we had no choice,” Dalmia added.
Nirmala Chacko
Businesswoman
Mani Tower, New Alipore
For Nirmala Chacko, 59, a minor accident in the dark turned into a frightening ordeal. Her husband Lawrence dropped a glass on Tuesday night. “It was pitch dark. What would’ve been a small thing became a nightmare. We avoided using that room after that,” she said.
With the lifts down, they borrowed drinking water from neighbours. Their son is in the US and daughter in Ireland. “The water delivery guy said he couldn’t carry bottles to the 10th floor. I couldn’t go down and bring them up,” she said.
Both upper and lower basements of Mani Tower were submerged. “It’s only in times like these that we realise what a real crisis looks like,” Nirmala said.