Mother, daughter stay afloat in marooned village

With nowhere to go, two women, a mother, and her daughter, are marooned in a flooded village, encumbered by their second-floor house.

This is the story of Sundaravva Teli and Surekha Teli in the Darur village of Athani taluk. The two women and seven cattle are now the only occupants of Darur. The rescue helicopter could not airlift them as they could not be located.

The village is now accessible only by boat. Volunteers, who provided the duo with food and other essentials on Thursday, said that they are safe.

“They were left in the village because the rescue helicopter could not locate them. On August 11, 23 residents of the village, including me, were the last to be airlifted,” said Ashok Galathagi, who is at a rescue center in Shankratti village.

About half-a-km from the village, towards Darur, people from nearby villages visit in their hundreds for a ‘beach experience’ in Krishna river. Wading in knee-deep water standing on the road, Mallikarjun Talwar points out that Darur was five km away.

“From the village, the river must be a km at least. Look where the water has reached,” he said, lauding the mother and daughter for staying in Darur despite the harrowing conditions around them.

Shankar Saragi, who was among the volunteers who went on a boat to provide ration and other required items to them, said that both of them were fine.

“They couldn’t reach a spot where they could be airlifted. That is why they are left there. Water has not entered their second-floor house,” he said, adding that apart from them only seven cattle were in the village. “We provided fodder for the animals, too.”

While Darur has only two residents, there are other marooned villages nearby with inhabitants. At Nadi-Ingalgaon, 150 people are still in the village and are being provided provision by the authorities. The village is at a relatively higher altitude and is not completely submerged.Similarly, assistance is being provided to 40 people in Kahavatkoppa, who also refused to move despite rising water levels.