Guwahati, Aug 19: Overnight heavy rain inundated several parts of Guwahati on Wednesday, disrupting traffic, affecting schoolgoers and leaving residents grappling with knee-deep water.The downpour also triggered the collapse of a section of the Assam State Zoo-cum-Botanical Garden’s boundary wall, sparking panic in adjoining areas. The section of the wall, located on the Japorigog side of the zoo, collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday after the continuous rainfall weakened the structure. The incident sparked panic among residents of Japorigog and neighbouring localities, particularly over the possibility of animals escaping from the zoo through the damaged section. "This is Krishna Nagar, near the zoo. It has been raining continuously for some time now. But waterlogging started here last month. We registered a complaint in the zoo office. The wall has been deteriorating every day. They, however, didn't pay any heed," a local resident said. (Photo:Kangkan Bordoloi)Residents alleged that the wall had been in a deteriorating condition for some time and claimed that complaints had previously been lodged with the zoo authorities.Another local, Anima Boro, alleged that repeated complaints about the condition of the wall had gone unheeded. "This is zoo authorities' fault. We have been telling them for quite some years, but they haven't paid any heed to our complaints. Continuous rainfall had been weakening the wall for some time before it finally gave way today," Boro said. Zoo authorities and senior Forest Department officials reached the site soon after being informed about the collapse and assessed the situation. Officials immediately began putting up a temporary barrier along the damaged section and deploying guards to prevent any animals from escaping and to ensure the safety of the wildlife. “No animal had escaped from the zoo following the collapse,” an official told The Assam Tribune. Emergency measures have also been initiated to rebuild the damaged section of the boundary wall at the earliest. Another downpour, another deluge Meanwhile, Hatigaon, Anil Nagar, Zoo Road, Down Town and Wireless were among the worst-affected areas, with knee-level waterlogging reported schools, following incessant rain from Tuesday night. The Barbari-Six Mile connecting road was also hit by artificial flooding, while Ambikagiri Nagar, Devdaru Path and Milan Path in the Zoo Road area reported significant waterlogging. The flooding also prompted some schools to suspend classes. SFS School in Satgaon, Little Flower School in Hatigaon and Anand Academy in Super Market were declared closed. Jorabat, however, continued to witness normal traffic movement, with no flooding reported there so far.