Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Jul 22: Heavy rain which soaked the areas located at the foot of the Western Ghats all through the last weekend caused heavy loss to farmers as the left bank canal of Varahi Irrigation Project breached and submerged large tracts of agricultural fields. Loss in this incident runs into lacs of rupees, although scientifically calculated figures are yet to be worked out.

It is said that the canal breached on account of the failure of the concerned to execute a work on the canal that is pending at the 23rd km at Basbail Math in Molahalli since the last six months. Many feel that haphazard and substandard works have caused this breach. Due to the force of water which gushed into the canal, it breached late night on Sunday, and the water which got pushed through natural canals then entered the agricultural fields. About 60 acres of fields are under water now. Although the locals noticed this catastrophe and informed the concerned as well as fire brigade, the concerned were helpless and remained mute spectators, because of the intensity of water flow.

Water mixed with limestone dust entered plantations and farms, including paddy fields as well as areca nut and banana plantations, inflicting losses on the concerned. As per an estimate, 65 acres of fields have been submerged, resulting in loss of about ten lac rupees.

As the water continues to pour outside the left bank canal of the project, which gets then pushed through the natural canal, the concrete used for the canal wall has almost been washed away. Only rods are visible at the spot where concrete wall once stood for a stretch of several metres. Nearby hillocks are suffering landslide, and even the road in the region is likely to collapse anytime now. A number of local people are also living under the constant fear of the water gushing into their houses anytime now.

Varahi project works, which had begun 35 years ago, are limping even now. Although state chief minister, Siddaramaiah, initiated water flow for the first phase of the project about two months back and promised to speed up works and see that water also begins to flow in the second phase, nothing has moved since then. Some also blame officials for not opening emergency gate valves located between 0 and 23rd km of this canal, thus causing this breach.

MLA, Haladi Srinivas Shetty, tahsildar, Gayatri Nayak, various peoples' representatives and officials visited the spot and held consultations about steps that need to be taken.