When it rained in Calcutta, it poured. The meteorological data would contribute to the Calcuttans’ sinking feeling. A frightening 251.44 mm of rain lashed the city in 24 hours; the most intense spell, according to the weather office, lasted for only three hours but brought about 185.6 mm of rain; on the southern city fringes, a particular pocket registered over 330 mm of rain in a short span of time. A low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal associated with cyclonic circulation caused the deluge. The consequences were devastating, familiar and also telling. The public transport system collapsed; residential buildings and streets were left inundated; several deaths were reported on account of electrocution while electricity outages were took place in many parts of the city. Preparations for Durga Puja were adversely affected, with pandal construction and festive shopping disrupted severely. The political fallout was predictable. The Bharatiya Janata Party pointed to the government’s failure to improve the city’s creaky civic infrastructure while the ruling Trinamool Congress accused the principal Opposition party of being insensitive to people’s distress.

The larger — most important — point must not be forgotten amidst the political noise. Extreme weather events, be it torrential rain or singeing heat spells, are going to occur with worrying frequency as the world and India begin to experience the full might of climate change. Calcutta’s geographical location and topography make it particularly vulnerable to flooding caused by extreme rain. The key to tackling — indeed surviving — the proverbial flood would be investment in urban resilience. Modernising drainage and pumping facilities, building flood-resilient infrastructure, restoring wetlands, greening transportation and civic facilities, implementing the tenets of climate action templates — the Kolkata Climate Action Plan is an example — bettering local weather prediction models, chalking out pre-emptive disaster management plans, sensitising the population — the task is varied and challenging for Calcutta’s authorities. Fundamental to such a transition, if it were to take place ever, would be political will as well as a cooperative federal edifice. But the pressure that needs to be put on the State needs to come from the people. This requires reimagining the arc of civic amenities: instead of viewing these as merely utilitarian, they need to be seen as an existential tool. That would bring greater public interest in demanding resilience for and renewal of Calcutta’s civic facilities.