Students of Bamangachhi Kendriya Vidyalaya wade through water to reach school. Picture by Anup Bhattacharya

Studies at Bamangachhi Kendriya Vidyalaya are hit badly as the school compound goes under water during most part of the monsoon. The school is located in one of the low-lying areas of north Howrah and after every heavy downpour, the school is inundated. Not just the compound, the staff quarters and the road leading to the school go under knee-deep water. As a result attendance in the school is thin for most part of the June to October academic session.

The school authorities alleged that they have knocked the doors of the Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) several times but to no avail. “I met HMC mayor with the request to do something to stop waterlogging in the school compound and the road leading to the school. But she expressed her inability to do anything saying the whole area was low-lying and waterlogging was inevitable,” said Bandana Mohanty, principal, Bamangachhi Kendriya Vidyalaya. She regretted that due to prolonged monsoon and heavy showers due to the frequent low pressure on the Bay of Bengal this year, the academic session from June to October was severely affected. There are 1,200 students in the school with 60 teachers. The school is built on five acres of land.

“The primary section of the school has been most affected. Since the road leading to the school goes under more than knee-deep water the parents of primary section are scared to send their children to the school. We have failed to complete the syllabus of the primary section this year,” said the principal. Making matters worse are several potholes on the road that cannot be located when the road goes under water.

The school authority alleged that the drains around the school are choked with domestic garbage and are seldom cleared by the conservancy staff.

“There is a vat near one of the drains where garbage is dumped by the local people. Since the vat is not cleared regularly plastic bags and other things spill over to the drain,” said an assistant teacher of the school.

The staff quarter located in the school compound turns hellish after waterlogging. “Nearly 15 teachers of the school live in the staff quarters. After a few spells of heavy rain, the ground floor of the quarters goes under knee deep water. The teachers cannot cook food or use the toilet then,” said the principal.

Amrita Ghosh