Several residents struggled all through the night to drain out water from their homes in Nelamangala town after the canal of Amanikere breached and the water gushed into their homes on Saturday night.
More than 200 houses on M.G. Road, Gajaria layout, Anjaneyaswamy layout and other areas were flooded, and the authorities blamed incessant rains in the area for the breach. It was quite a task for the residents to safeguard their belongings even as the water-level rose.
“We could not sleep the whole night as a few of our neighbours saw snakes and other insects in the water that entered homes,” said a resident of Janapriya apartment.
After incessant rain and breach not only were the residential areas flooded but even the farmland in and around Nelamangala were flooded thus damaging the standing crop.
Incidentally, the Amanikere was full for the first time in 20 years, but the residents blamed the authorities for not maintaining the tank bunds properly. However, officials said encroachment of the ‘rajakaluve’ and haphazard constructions in and around the area led to flooding.
Residents volunteer
The houses are constructed in such a way that there is no space for smooth flow of storm water. Residents volunteered to help officials dig a canal to ensure flow of water into the rajakaluve.
The town municipality officials also blocked water flow from the beached portion by putting sand bags on the tank bund to prevent water from flooding the area.
Union Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily, the former Minister H.M. Revanna along with senior police and revenue officials visited the affected areas.
