A five-month-old baby girl died tragically after slipping into stagnant water accumulated inside her home in the Debinagar area of Birati, a suburb of Kolkata, on Saturday morning. The incident has triggered shock and grief in the locality, with residents blaming prolonged civic negligence for the fatality.
The child, who lived with her family in a low-income settlement under Ward 13 of the North Dum Dum Municipality, slipped from her mother’s arms and fell into a pool of filthy, waist-deep water that has flooded the area for nearly a month. The mother reportedly lost her footing while carrying the infant in their water-logged home. The baby was first rushed to the local North Dum Dum Municipal Health Centre and then referred to Kolkata’s B.C. Roy Children’s Hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
The child’s father, Papan Ghorai, is a civic volunteer posted at Nimta Police Station. Upon hearing the news, he rushed to the hospital. Family members, including the child’s grandparents, broke down in tears as the news of the death spread. “She died because of this water. We’ve been pleading for help for weeks. No one listened,” wept the child’s grandmother. The baby’s body has been sent to NRS Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem. Police have initiated a case of unnatural death and are investigating the circumstances. Residents allege that for the past month, the entire area has been submerged in stagnant water following repeated monsoon rains. With no effective drainage in place, water has entered homes, posing severe health and safety risks. Despite repeated complaints to municipal authorities, no action has been taken. “We are living in fear. Children, elderly people — everyone is falling ill. Now, a child has died. What more has to happen before the authorities wake up?” said Ratna De, a local resident.
Many residents, however, are reluctant to speak to the media, fearing reprisals or simply out of helplessness. “There’s been no visit from any official, not even after the child’s death,” one resident told this reporter on condition of anonymity.
The incident occurred in the North Dum Dum Assembly constituency, represented by Chandrima Bhattacharya, a minister of state in charge of Health and Finance in the West Bengal government. Questions are now being raised over the condition of civic infrastructure in her constituency. “This is nothing short of administrative murder. We’ve been highlighting the issue for weeks. Now a child is dead. Will the Chief Minister or the minister concerned take note at last?” another resident asked.
As of Friday, there has been no official statement from either the municipality or the minister. But the community is left grieving — and asking the same haunting question: How many more lives must be lost before the water recedes?
