Why Kolkata stays dry: And Bengaluru still floods after every downpour

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Pothole Paradise

A luxury condo in Gurgaon now lists “boats during monsoon” as a seasonal amenity—residents navigate waist-deep water while drainage projects remain eternally “in progress.”

Silicon Soaked

India’s tech capital, Bengaluru, turns into a cautionary tale as billion-dollar campuses drown due to the vanishing of 80% of its lakes. Code runs on the cloud—until the cloud bursts.

Wetland Warfare

Kolkata’s unlikely hero? A sprawling marshland that absorbs floods and filters sewage—turning the city’s former waterlogging curse into a sustainability playbook.

Drain Dystopia

Gurgaon’s stormwater drain handles just 15% of runoff. The rest? It chooses the scenic route—through living rooms, elevators, and parking basements.

Urban Amnesia

Once revered johads and ponds in Gurgaon are now ghost memories under golf courses and gated plots. Old water wisdom is paved over in cement and regret.

Gradient Grief

Rain barrels down the Aravalis into Gurgaon with nowhere to go. A perfect recipe for urban flash floods, made worse by clogged, unfinished drains and missing catchments.

Sewage Surge

Kolkata quietly spent Rs 900 crore removing 20 lakh tonnes of silt from ancient underground drains. The result? A city that now dries in six hours instead of six days.

Real Estate Riptide

Unchecked building on Yamuna’s floodplains has converted Gurgaon into a monsoon minefield. Developers profit while residents sink—literally and financially.

Canal Comeback

Salt Lake and New Town didn't wait for disaster. Their aggressive desilting and canal dredging might be the reason Kolkata isn’t making headlines—for the right reasons.