Several parts of Sakleshpur taluk are among the worst affected in the floods caused by heavy rain in the recent days. Residents of Hijjanahalli in Yeslur hobli have left the village fearing collapse of houses. Hundreds of acres of land have submerged.
A relief centre has been opened at Hijjanahalli, where 100 people have been provided with shelter and food.
Following heavy rain, walls of houses in the village have developed cracks. “The residents are worried about losing their houses,” H.K. Kumaraswamy, MLA for Sakleshpur, told The Hindu on Sunday. He has been visiting the rain-hit areas of the taluk for the last three days.
A road connecting Kallahalli and Mageri is severely damaged. For about 300 m, the road has been divided into two. “The condition of many roads in the taluk is similar. Recently, an 11-km concrete road connecting Aluvalli and Kadrahalli was laid at a cost of ₹23 crores. It too has developed potholes,” the MLA said.
Vast tracts of plantation have been inundated. Of 10,600 hectares of land, where paddy was being cultivated, about 6,000 hectares are affected by the floods.
The taluk continued to receive heavy rain on Sunday too. The inflow into Hemavati reservoir on Saturday was 31,504 cusecs. The dam authorities discharged 36,700 cusecs as the water level in the reservoir is close to the maximum level. As on Sunday morning, the water level stood at 2,919.15 ft against the full reservoir level of 2,922 ft.
Driver’s body found
The driver of the gas tanker, which overturned on Shiradi Ghat owing to landslips on August 14, was found dead on Sunday. Santhosh, 35, of Anegodu in K.R. Pet taluk of Mandya district was driving the tanker, which met with the accident.
The driver and his assistant Venkatesh went missing after the incident. The body of Venkatesh, a native of Raichur, was found the next day. However, Santhosh was missing. Expert swimmers had tried to trace the body for the last six days. The efforts yielded result only on Sunday. Santhosh is survived by his wife and a baby.
