The Hindu : Front Page : Eight more villages marooned

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 01, 2005

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Eight more villages marooned

Suresh Bhat

JAMKHANDI (BAGALKOT DISTRICT): The situation was grim along the Krishna as the river's rising waters marooned eight more villages and inundated the 16-metre high Padasalagi Bridge on Bijapur-Hubli State Highway.

As the water level rose by over one metre in the last 24 hours, road link to Takkod, Jambagi BK, Jambagi KD, Choudapur, Kankanwadi, Shurpali, Muttur and Kadkol was severed.

Aski, Janwad, Kavatagi and a habitation of Chikkapadasalagi village have been marooned. Nearly 10,000 people are stranded, though there is no immediate threat to their lives. In all, 60 villages are facing problems because of rise in the water level.According to sources, at least 20,000 acres of agriculture land is under water.

There have been landslips and erosion of agriculture fields on the riverbank. In many villages, commercial crops such as sugarcane and banana have been washed away.

The Krishna flowed over the Padasalagi Bridge for the first time on Sunday since 1964. Sources said the water flow is around three lakh cusecs.

The Yadwad Bridge across the Ghataprabha has also been under water for the past two days.

The Deputy Commissioner, K.S. Prabhakar, who toured some affected villages today, told The Hindu that boats are being brought from Karwar. Mr. Prabhakar said nearly 2,000 people from flooded villages have been shifted to safe places and provided shelter. Food and medicines were supplied.

Meanwhile, the KBJNL authorities increased the discharge from the Alamatti reservoir to an all-time record of 3.78 lakh cusecs.

The authorities also increased discharge from the Narayanpur dam to 3.8 lakh cusecs by noon.

Situation deteriorates

T.V. Sivanandan reports from Gulbarga

The flood situation in Gulbarga district deteriorated today because of the heavy release of water from the Narayanpur Dam and the alarming increase in the water level in the Bhima.

The Deputy Commissioner, Anjum Parvez, who rushed to Surpur taluk to supervise relief measures in the affected villages, said the increase in the water level in the Bhima has forced the authorities to evacuate people in nearly 15 villages in Yadgir, Shahapur, Afzalpur and Gulbarga taluks.

The water level in the Bhima has been put at 404 meters at Devangoan Bridge near Sonna village in Afzalpur taluk against the danger level of 405 meters.

He said the release of water from the Narayanpur Dam in Surpur taluk was 3.40 lakh cusecs.

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