A Drowning City, Washed-Away Villages – When Will We Truly Wake Up?

Kolkata has always been a low-lying city. Many parts of it are barely 1.5 meters above sea level. During monsoon, when the Ganges is already overflowing, there’s simply no outlet for rainwater. The result? Waterlogging. Flooded streets. Paralyzed life.

Add to that — rapid population growth, rampant construction, filled-up wetlands, shrinking drainage systems choked with plastic, and illegal encroachments narrowing streets. Where will the water go after six hours of continuous rain?

We record videos, post them on Facebook, mock the government, compare Kolkata to “London”, and political trolls flood the comments — “Throw them out in 2026 or Kolkata will drown forever.”

Sure, the government is not blameless. They’ve failed to implement long-term infrastructural reforms that could mitigate such recurring disasters.

But before you start thinking it’s just Bengal — have you forgotten Mumbai? Delhi? Patna? Chennai? Guwahati? Hyderabad? Every major Indian city has seen flooding regardless of the ruling party.

Urban flooding is inconvenient. But have you ever paused to think about the villages swallowed by rivers like Padma and Bhagirathi? Entire farmlands, homes, and livelihoods lost. Families forced to sleep under open skies. Children without food. Parents with nothing but despair.

City dwellers often recover. But for these villagers, life will never be the same again.

So let’s stop playing the blame game. Let’s rise above politics and focus on solutions. Let’s educate ourselves and others on sustainable urban planning, environmental responsibility, and disaster preparedness. Let’s support — not just criticize — when it matters.

Because in the end, it’s our collective survival at stake.