Fact-Check: Video From Guwahati Viral as Showing Cloud Burst in Kolkata

Kolkata witnessed heavy downpour on 23 September, however, we traced this clip to 20 September.

Fact-Check: This video is from Guwahati and not Kolkata, as claimed. 

(Source: The Quint) 

A video showing a strong flow of water cascading down near a train track, has gone viral on social media, with users claiming that it shows a cloudburst which led to the recent heavy downpour in Kolkata, West Bengal.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is the claim true?: No, the claim is false.

• As per reports, the video shows a pipe burst incident from 20 September in Guwahati’s Chandmari area.

What we found: At first, we divided the video into multiple screenshots and ran a Google reverse image search on some of them.

• It led us to a post on X by Hindusthan Samachar News Agency which featured the same clip as the viral video, dated 20 September.

• The post’s caption stated that water gushed over 20 feet high following an explosion in a drinking water supply pipe in Guwahati’s Chandmari area.

• Incidentally, the heavy rainfall in Kolkata happened on 23 September. The news outlet's post predates this by three days.

• Local Assamese news outlet The Sentinel reported on 21 September that major water pipe burst occurred in Chandmari, Guwahati, sending water shooting up roughly 70–80 feet and flooding roads, rooftops of nearby 3–4 storey buildings.

• The newspaper noted that the authorities had not shut off the water supply. The residents called for urgent action from the Guwahati Jal Board and local administration.

• This incident happened during a period of city-wide mourning for late singer Zubeen Garg.

• PratidinTime also reported on this incident from 20 September which happened in Guwahati.

Here is a preview of the report by PratidinTime. 

(Source: PratidinTime/Screenshot) 

Conclusion: A video showing a pipe burst incident in Assam has gone viral with users falsely linking it to the heavy rainfall and flooding in Kolkata.

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