Kolkata Drowned: Monsoon's Deadly Grip Claims Lives Through Electrocution

Kolkata, the 'City of Joy,' found itself gripped by an unprecedented monsoon fury, turning bustling streets into treacherous waterways and claiming a devastating toll on human lives. Torrential rains brought the metropolitan heart to a virtual standstill, but the true tragedy unfolded in the quiet, shocking moments as nine out of ten fatalities were attributed to electrocution – a preventable horror that resurfaces with alarming regularity during the monsoon season.

The city's infrastructure, often strained during heavy downpours, proved fatally inadequate for many.

Reports detail a harrowing scene of widespread waterlogging across key areas like Bowbazar, Ultadanga, Behala, and Jadavpur. However, it was the submerged electrical lines and faulty wiring, lurking beneath the murky floodwaters, that delivered the most brutal blow.

Among the victims was an elderly woman, her life cut short in a flash of electrical current.

A dedicated security guard, performing his duties amidst the deluge, met a similar tragic fate. Even a street hawker, striving to earn a livelihood in the face of nature's wrath, became another statistic in this somber tally. Each death represents a profound personal loss, underscoring the severe human cost of urban unpreparedness.

The sheer number of electrocution deaths sends a chilling reminder of the inherent dangers posed by exposed electrical infrastructure in a waterlogged environment.

As citizens navigated waist-deep waters, the risk of stepping onto a live wire became a grim reality, transforming everyday commutes into life-threatening endeavors. The incident highlights a critical need for enhanced safety measures and proactive maintenance by civic authorities and power supply companies, especially in vulnerable low-lying areas.

While rain is an inevitable part of Kolkata's monsoon, the scale of this tragedy underscores a recurring public safety crisis.

As the city slowly recedes from the floodwaters, the collective memory of these preventable deaths will linger, demanding urgent attention to secure its residents from the deadly embrace of urban monsoons.