Senior citizens remember rain horror from 1985, 2007
The Statesman | 24 September 2025It was before the Durga Puja in September. The month had caused disasters in 1985 and 2007. Incidentally, the city was hit by massive rains on 23 September, 2007.
In 1978, there was a flood in Bengal. Vast areas in South 24-Parganas, undivided Midnapore, Murshidabad and Malda were flood-hit. The Left Front government was sworn-in in 1977 and, following the instruction of the then chief minister Jyoti Basu, CPI-M cadres worked hand-in-hand with the administration in the flood-hit areas.
Manjushree Dasgupta, a city based housewife, said, “In 1978, it was before the Pujas when the rains started. It had rained for two days. The city was inundated. In north Kolkata, particularly in areas surrounding Thanthania Kali temple, boats were used to ferry people. I used to live in Akrur Dutta Lane in central Kolkata close to the Hind cinema. For three days, we had nothing to eat as all the markets were closed. Now, I am 82, and after so many years I have been watching a similar picture.”
Mayor Firhad Hakim recollected the rain in 1978. “I was in my teens. Chetla, the place where I lived, is never waterlogged. In 1978, the banks of Adi Ganga were flooded and we rescued many people and took them to safer places.”
Asimananda Chatterjee, who used to work in the state irrigation and waterways department in 1978 said: “Vast areas in Bengal were flooded. It was a new government that had sworn in 1977. The engineers had worked round the clock to save people.”
He said the difference between 1978 and the rain that had hit the city yesterday is: “In 1978 it was flooded. But last night it had rained only for six hours. The districts are not affected, only Kolkata and its neighbouring districts are affected.”
