Angul: With heavy downpour lashing this town for some hours Sunday, knee-deep water was seen accumulated at Uttarpada Nodal School at DIC square, giving rise to anger among local residents.
Not only the school compound but also the classrooms had water up to knees. Had it not been Sunday, what would have happened to our children and teachers, asked some irked parents.
The school teachers are also in distress as furniture and other articles were submerged in the water.
The school management has blamed the construction of houses and buildings around the school for the inundation. “We have never ever seen rain water accumulating inside that school campus, that too up to knee high. Over the years, houses and buildings have come up near the institution. That apart, with the height of the road getting higher than the level of the school due to several layer of bitumen being laid out every year, excess rain water runs into the school compound and inundates it for days together,” it alleged.
When asked, district education officer Sachhidananda Behera blamed the lack of drainage facility in the town for such a situation.
“It is the job of the municipality to make sure the town has a proper drainage system. But it seems to be not serious about it,” he rued.
“We are left with no choice but to declare holiday whenever such heavy downpour occurs,” said the school management.
PNN
