Dibrugarh: A relentless four-hour downpour early Friday morning submerged large parts of Dibrugarh, bringing life to a standstill as knee-deep water flooded homes, offices, and major roads.

The flash floods affected all 22 wards of the city, forcing residents to wade through waterlogged streets and disrupting business, school, and govt operations.The bustling Mancotta Road, a crucial thoroughfare of Dibrugarh, turned into a virtual river, with water levels reaching knee height along the 1.5-km stretch from Chowkidinghee Clock Tower to Thana Chariali flyover. The flooding extended far beyond Mancotta Road, engulfing other critical arteries, including AT Road, Jail Road, RKB Road, Zig Zag Road, KC Gogoi Road, Rotary Road, Red Cross Road, Cole Road, VKV Road, Jhalukpara Road, KP Road, PN Road, and Convoy Road.

Multiple stretches of these roads remained completely submerged, making vehicular movement difficult.The residential areas painted an equally grim picture. Neighbourhoods, including West Milannagar, Jiban Phukan Nagar, Bordoloi Avenue, Lachit Nagar, Chowkidinghee, Khaniagaon, Naliapool, Gangapara, Seujpur, Amolapatty, Padum Nagar, Santipara, Durgabari, Bishnu Nagar, Khalihamari, Guardpara, and Graham Bazar witnessed rainwater seeping into homes, causing considerable distress to families who found themselves trapped in their flooded residences.

Locals blamed the clogged Dibrugarh Town Protection (DTP) drain, choked with weeds, water hyacinths, and plastic waste, as the primary reason for the severe waterlogging. With monsoon season just beginning, concerns remain over whether the city's infrastructure can handle further downpours."The failure to completely clean the clogged Dibrugarh Town Protection drain, which is filled with weeds, water hyacinths and plastic waste, is responsible for the current situation.

Every year, heavy rain leads to the same situation. The drainage system needs a complete overhaul, not just temporary fixes," said Bhargav Jyoti Bora, an IT professional from the city.Dibrugarh mayor Saikat Patra said that emergency measures were being taken to mitigate the crisis."We have deployed high-power motor pumps to flush out rainwater into the Brahmaputra. Drain-cleaning operations are also underway. If there is no further rain, we expect the situation to improve by evening," Patra added.