Assam areas inundated

From top:Villagers standing on a submerged wooden bridge at Bengalipara in Baska district; a woman crossing a flooded area in a raft made of banana tree trunks at Dhakuakhana in Lakhimpur district and an elephant pulling the body of a one-horned Rhino from flood water in Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district of Assam on Sunday. The Rhino died as it was swept away by flood water.- Photos: PTI & Ritu Raj Konwar

ncessant rain for the last three days led to severe water-logging in all the 22 municipal wards of the tea city of Dibrugarh on Sunday which affected 50,000 people, prompting the district administration to order closure of all educational institutions tomorrow.

Heavy showers have caused water logging in all the 22 municipal ward areas with knee to waist deep water in the houses and roads affecting normal life, Dibrugarh district Deputy Commissioner M. S. Manibhanan said.

Stating the situation was under control and the administration was prepared for any eventuality, Mr. Manibhanan said the water-logging has created havoc in the tea city.

The rain and water-logging have cut off electricity and water supplies with many power transformer posts being submerged, rendering them dangerous, he said.

Schools, colleges closed

The district administration has ordered closure of all schools and colleges in the city as water has entered the premises of many of them and roads were water-logged, where boats were seen plying for movement of people.

One person died on Sunday of electrocution in the Sankardeb Colony area of the city when the plug of his inverter fell into the knee-high water in his house as he attempted to disconnect its battery power supply, said an Assam State Electricity Board official.

The water has also entered the official residence of the district Superintendent of Police prompting him to shift to the Circuit House located on a higher area.

The Assam Medical College Hospital wards were also under water and ambulances could not enter the hospital due to water-logging in its premises, hospital authorities said.

The DC said the Dibrugarh Town Protection Drain (DTPD) constructed in 1950 was unable to take the load of the rain water causing the water to flow back into the city.

Water from the tea estates surrounding the city and the National Highway along it were also pouring in compounding the water logging problem, he added. - PTI

Situation under control and the administration is prepared for any eventuality