Jalpaiguri: For more than a month, children of Uttar Basusuba Habiruddin Smriti Primary School in Chapadanga Gram Panchayat have been compelled to study under the open sky, as persistent Teesta floodwaters have left the campus submerged, with classrooms waterlogged and infested with snakes and insects.
The situation has compelled teachers to conduct lessons on the roadside, where students brave scorching heat and heavy rains to continue their studies. The school, which caters to children from pre-primary to Class IV, has become a stark symbol of the devastation caused by the Teesta’s overflowing waters.
Headmaster Tirtha Pratim Dev said: “Exams are approaching, so we have no choice but to hold classes on the road. The campus is under knee-deep water, and the classrooms have become a breeding ground for snakes and poisonous insects. Only the midday meals are prepared inside the kitchen room, but children are forced to study and eat along the roadside.” Local residents echo the distress. Alabaks Ali, a villager, said: “My grandson studies here. With floodwaters inundating the school, children are now sitting on the road to study. Nearly 4,000 houses in this area remain submerged.”
According to locals, around two months ago Teesta’s water spilled into the Vaidyadangi River, flooding vast parts of Chapadanga Gram Panchayat. Entire villages have been submerged—Dakshin and Uttar Basusuba (800 houses), Purba Sangopara (600), Chapadanga (300), Daburi Para (400), Dakshin Chengmari (1,000), Daser More (400), and another 500 homes in nearby areas.
The flooding has not only displaced families but also disrupted education. Parents fear for the safety of their children, who study amid such hazardous conditions.
Panchanan Roy, president of Kranti Panchayat Samiti, admitted the gravity of the situation. “Areas on the bank of Teesta get flooded from time to time, but this year the water simply refuses to recede. We have arranged relief and are ensuring the supply of safe drinking water,” he said.