Bagalkote: After days of incessant
rains which caused havoc in the region, the sun finally shone
bright on Ingalagi and Khairwadagi villages of this district
in north Karnataka, though smiles are yet to be seen on faces
of the residents reeling under unprecedented devastation.
Their houses built by mud and stones crashed during
pounding rains and subsequent flash floods caused by the
swollen Malaprabha river and the trauma they underwent last
week is still fresh in their minds.
Many climbed tree tops while others perched themselves on
temple roofs and starved of food and water before boats came
to rescue them. Five villagers of Hiremagi were not lucky.
They fell from an overcrowded boat and drowned.
"This is the first time in my life that I saw a calamity
of this magnitude," said 65-year-old Adiyappagowda Hanumagowda
Patil in Benala village, as he tried to pick up some plastic
stuff which he said is needed to protect his grandchildren.
His house had collapsed like 4,471 dwellings in the
district, where 28,450 houses were damaged severely while
18,843 partially.
"In Benala, 60 percent of total 250 houses have
collapsed," said Shekharaiah Chandrashekharaiah Mrityunjaya
Hiremath. A `dargah` was among the structures that collapsed
here. Flash flood waters entered most of the houses and in
some, it was neck-deep, a villager said.
Standing crops in tens of thousands of hectares have been
destroyed in the district. Stocks of food grains were washed
away.
The rain impact in this district was devastating.... 33
lives were lost, 45 villages marooned and 2,45,027 people
are lodged in 531 relief camps.
All the 150 houses in Ingalagi village had collapsed and
the families were at present housed in a school. Food,
clothing and other required stuff was pouring in to many of
these camps and surprisingly, there was hardly anybody who
complained of poor supply.
"We are okay in this school till October 22, when it
reopens. After that we will be on road," said Saraswati, as
cooked dal and rice was getting ready to be served to the
displaced.
It was no different in Khairwadagi, which has been
deserted by the villagers after all the houses collapsed. Most
of them are now packed in temporary sheds. "I have lost
everything. I sleep on the road. I have nowhere else to go," a
villager said.
There were scenes of despair as well. Ramesh Beerappa,
Ammappa Gadad, Siddappa Yamappa Kelur, Balappa, Mallappa
Kabhargi, Shivanappa, Sharanaiah Hiremath and Ningappa
Manikatt and scores of others had their own stories to tell on
how the torrential rains and the nature`s fury turned their
life upside-down.
A volunteer said most of these houses collapsed because
they did not invest in their maintenance for years.
More than the government and its agencies, it appeared
it was voluntary organisations, NGOs, philanthropists and
corporates who pitched in with relief materials.
Some of the scenes reflected the human spirit and the
resilience of people who have lost everything. Their hope for
the future and never-say-die spirit was exemplary.
There was a medical team from Gujarat, led by Vajubhai
Parekh, which was conducting tests on people and distributing
medicines. The other day, women in Bagalkot voluntarily
chipped in, and made `chapatis` for the victims.
Students also joined the relief operations.
"Today`s youth has service on mind; you only have to
motivate and channelise their energies," said Srinivas who
is leading one of the medical teams along with H D Patil
and R H Fattepur. Officials said 2,000 students have spread
out to different flood-hit areas to help in relief works.
RSS volunteers could be seen in many places distributing
food to the flood victims. Villagers said Toyota Kirloskar
Motor and L & T sent bedsheets, blankets and medicines as the
relief materials.
Most of the flood-hit want their villages, now on
downstream, to be relocated and given money to build houses.
"We don`t want anything else. We will fend for ourselves
and survive somehow. But government should relocate our
villages and we should be provided houses."
"Everybody has risen to the challenge. It is beyond our
expectations," a volunteer said, adding that there is
sufficient food stock for the flood-hit.
"What we need to do is to build houses for them. That is
the main task now," he said.
Bureau Report
