The combined outflow of over 1.10 lakh cusecs from the Krishnaraja Sagar reservoir and Kabini dam has turned the majestic Gaganachukki waterfalls near Malavalli in Mandya district and Bharachukki waterfalls in Chamarajanagar district into an awe-inspiring sight.
Though Bharachukki waterfalls is out of bounds for visitors for safety reasons, people can visit Gaganachukki waterfalls at Shivanasamudra. However, they have to view the cascading waters from a safe distance and none are allowed to climb down the steps to the viewpoint.
Policemen and tourist police personnel have been deployed at Gaganachukki waterfalls to stop people from approaching the viewing platform. “The entry has been barricaded as a precautionary measure as people were climbing down the platform for selfies, risking their safety,” according to the tourist policemen.
Shivanasamudra, close to Malavalli town, witnessed a heavy rush of visitors, especially from Bengaluru, on Sunday who wanted to catch a glimpse of the waterfalls. The police had a tough time controlling the crowd as people thronged the site in large numbers, jamming the parking lot.
Viewing gallery still under construction
The inadequate facilities for tourists at the waterfalls was evident even as the work on the construction of a permanent viewing gallery at Gaganachukki remained incomplete.
A tourist said, “If the gallery was ready, we could have witnessed the granduer of the place. Such works need to be completed in time as the waterfall comes alive only once a year and the opportunity doesn’t come often.”
Locals said the work had been suspended since many days and lack of funds were being cited as the reason for halting the work. “The place has a huge potential for development but it lacks patronage,” they added.
Gaganachukki is aiding the livelihood of many small-time vendors as makeshift stalls have come up at the site owing to the rise in footfalls. A toy trader from Channapatna has put up a stall to sell the famous Channapatna toys. “I have opened the stall in hope of business with the people turning up in sizeable numbers to watch the waterfalls,” he said.
