Torrential rains and swollen Varada river have turned Beesanagadde village in Sagar taluk of Shivamogga into an island. Residents of 28 houses in the village have lost access to the outer world as their settlement is surrounded by water.
To hospital amidst rain
Lakshmamma, 60, of the village needed to visit hospital on Wednesday and crossed the water with the help of a fibre coracle and reached Tadagalale a neighbour village, from where her relative Nagaraj took her to Sagar by a two-wheeler, amidst heavy rains. "The taluk administration has provided us with boats, but there are no trained people to propel them," said Nagaraj.
For decades, the people of Beesanagadde have been facing this problem. Every year their paddy fields and areca plantations get submerged in water. This year, their problem intensified due to construction of a road connecting Tadagalale and Beesanagadde without enough vents for the free flow of water.
Road without ducts
"The road was constructed with ducts for flow of water only at two places. The estimation of the project and construction was done in summer, when there was no water. Now we are facing the problem," said Ramesh, a resident of the village.
Because of the road, the water level has increased by about three feet, compared to the last year. "Earlier, somehow we could manage to walk through the water. But not now, as the water level is so high that we cannot walk," said Keshav, also a local resident.
The village has a primary school. The students of high schools and colleges have to reach Tadagalale and Sagar. For the past five days it has been tough for them to reach the college.
Not ready to leave
In the past, the administration had proposed to shift the villagers to a safer place. However, the residents refused to move out leaving their place and farms. "There is no threat to our lives here. We have our houses and farms in the village. We want the government to make proper arrangements for commuting. And, at the earliest, the administration should make arrangements of health services in the village," said Ramesh.
Sagar Taluk Panchayat Executive Officer Pushpa M. Kammar visited the spot on Wednesday. Interacting with the villagers, the officer asked them to shift to a safe place. She also assured them arrangements for a vehicle to take them to Sagar once they crossed the waterbody.
To safer place
“We are aware of the problem and making efforts to resolve it. At the moment, we are concerned about their safety and making arrangements in this regard,” she told The Hindu.
The villagers want the elected representatives visit the place and take up a project to construct a road with enough space for the water flow.
