Paddy fields wiped out from Mavinuru village

Although rains have abated briefly, landslides continue across Sakleshpur taluk, one of the worst-affected places due to the recent floods.

Mavinuru village, under Hongadahalli Gram Panchayat, witnessed massive landslides and hundreds of acres of paddy fields have vanished under the soil.

Shivappa of Mavinuru said that their villages situated near Bisile Reserve forest range of Western Ghats receive heavy rainfall every year and it has become impossible for them to grow coffee, cardamom and other crops. We grow paddy in patches for our annual consumption and work as labourers. This year’s floods have devastated the lives of the people here, he said.

Narrating the incident, Shivappa said we heard a sound similar to a moving helicopter during the night and also heard cattle making noises. “When we woke up in the morning, we saw a hillock had collapsed in front of the house. The house has also developed cracks. The water flowing down brings soil and landslides have occurred at various places on the road connecting our village. But no official has visited the village so far. Though our relatives are asking us to move, we can’t leave the cattle and the house,” he said. The residents of surrounding villages also are facing similar problems. A few villages have been disconnected due to damaged roads and inundation, they complain.