Navalgund taluk officials assisted by the district police and Fire and Emergency Services personnel rescued 13 persons who were stranded in their farmland due to flash floods in the Benni Halla in three rescue operations carried out on Monday night and Tuesday.
While three persons from Gudisagar village in Navalgund taluk were rescued on Monday night, five each from Amaragol village and Kongawad village in the taluk were rescued on Tuesday. After a sudden downpour in the district on Monday, the stream is in spate.
Residents of Gudisagar village Sharanappa Meti, Beerappa Pujar and Gangavva Kademani who went to their fields after crossing the Benni Halla could not return home as the water level in the stream rose suddenly due to the downpour in the catchment area.
After getting information, Navalgund Tahsildar Naveen Hullur and Sub-Inspector of Police Jayapal Patil and Inspector Chandrashekhar Patil rushed to the spot and managed to bring them back to safety using a rescue boat in a late-night operation that went on till 2 a.m.
Although five from a family, Amaragol Kallappa Hadapad, his wife, Shakhavva, son Vijay and daughter Gangavva and his nephew Ravi, were stranded in the fields in Sotakanal village on Monday evening itself, they decided to wait till the next morning hoping that the water would recede. However, as the water level continued to rise on Tuesday morning too, they called others in the village informing them about their plight.
Consequently, the rescue team rushed to the banks of the stream, The rescue boat which was sent to Hubballi was recalled. The stranded family was then rescued.
“We received information about those stranded in Sotakanal at about 7 a.m. and the rescue boat from the Fire and Emergency Services, Hubballi, reached here at 9.30 a.m. In a joint operation, the fire brigade personnel from Annigeri and Hubballi brought them to safety at 11.30 a.m.,” Mr. Naveen Hullur told The Hindu.
Even as the rescue operation was going on, Mr. Naveen Hullur received a call from a former Zilla Panchayat member Fakirappa Jakkappanavar informing him that five persons were stranded in Kongawad village.
He said that the same rescue team was rushed to Kongawad village for another operation. “Sharanappa Javali, Mudakappa Javali, Siddalingappa Talawar, Bhimappa Jakkannavar and Kumar Surkod were stranded in their fields in the Kongawad village. We brought them to safety by 2.30 p.m.,” he said.
Those rescued were all admitted to Navalgund Taluk Hospital for a health check-up and treatment. None among them had any health problem, Mr. Naveen Hullur said.
Meanwhile, as the Kongawad rescue operation was under way, Superintendent of Police Vartika Katiyar too visited the spot and monitored the rescue mission.
