Woman, niece drown in village tank

Narayanamma, 56, and her niece Shobha, 20, drowned in the village tank at Ajjavara where they had gone to graze sheep on Thursday.

Inconsolable members of the family said that both women, who had left that morning, had said that they would return home in time for lunch. According to police, both women drowned after they slipped into the tank.

‘Semi-quicksand’

Venkatesh, a resident of Ajjavara, told Deccan Herald that both women had been forced to herd their sheep outside the village because of a shortage of water within the village. On Thursday, one sheep slipped into the tank, prompting Shobha to follow, in an attempt to save it. “The earth in the tank is soft, while the water is quite deep,” Venkatesh said. “Shobha shouted for help. Narayanamma, who was nearby, heard her and ran to help, but she too fell victim to the deep water of the tank.”

Venkatesh added that the area in the vicinity of the tank was nearly deserted, except for one boy who noticed from the distance that the women were half-submerged in the tank. “He ran back to the village to get help, but Narayanamma and Shobha had drowned when we reached the tank,” Venkatesh said, adding that the village residents had searched for some time in the slushy water, before they could find the bodies.

Safety measure

Taluk Panchayat former president K R Reddy said they had not noticed that the tank water was so deep. “We will build a wall around it as a safety measure. Also, the residents will be warned to take care at the tank,” he said.

Legislator K P Bachegowda, Zilla Panchayat member P N Munegowda and Gram Panchayat former president Ajjavara Chandrashekhar met the family members and attempted to console family members.