Unprecedented Flooding Grips Byndoor as Rivers Overflow
Kundapur: Byndoor taluk is grappling with severe flooding following incessant heavy rains and strong winds on Sunday night, which caused the Souparnika, Edmavinholé, and Sumanavati rivers to surge beyond their banks early Monday morning. The deluge has left residents in a state of panic and triggered widespread disruption across the region.
The Edmavinholé River, particularly in the Kambadakone Gram Panchayat area, experienced unprecedented swelling, inundating the vicinities of Halageri and Kambalgadde. Residents report that this is the most significant flooding event in the area in the past 25 years. The main thoroughfare connecting Kambadakone to Halageri and Kambalgadde has been rendered impassable, effectively cutting off the communities. Fire brigade personnel, aided by local volunteers, have been actively involved in evacuating affected residents to secure locations via boats. In the Halageri-Kambalgadde area, eight houses were submerged in the early morning floodwaters, necessitating the rescue of their occupants by boat. Demonstrating community spirit, local residents also utilized boats to safely transport degree students who are currently undergoing examinations.
The sudden and extensive flooding across several parts of the Byndoor Assembly constituency posed significant challenges to immediate relief operations. In Halageri, rescue efforts faced a setback when the fire brigade’s speedboat engine malfunctioned, leaving the team temporarily stranded. However, local fishermen stepped in to assist, displaying remarkable courage by rescuing three families, including a specially-abled individual, trapped by the floodwaters near Halageri-Kambalgadde. These families were pulled to safety in a damaged boat. While some residents initially resisted leaving their homes, Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole personally navigated the flood-stricken areas by boat, successfully persuading many to evacuate to safer locations. The MLA also visited other severely affected areas, including Yadtare, Kudruhithlu, Ravatana Katte, and Yadtare Garjinahithlu, urging residents to prioritize their safety and relocate.
The villages of Salbuda, Bhanginmane, Kudru, and Kelabadi, located within the Navunda Gram Panchayat of the Baindur Assembly constituency, have been completely submerged by the floodwaters. The critical road linking Navunda to Arehole is entirely underwater at Salbuda, severing communication lines. While flooding is an annual occurrence in this area, residents have been evacuated to secure zones using two boats provided by the Panchayat. Local youth have actively volunteered in these ongoing rescue operations. Vast expanses of paddy fields have been inundated, raising concerns among farmers about potential crop losses due to rot.
Floodwaters have also engulfed areas surrounding Badakere, Padukone, Hadavu, and Chikkalli in the Nada Gram Panchayat, as well as Kuru Kudru and the vicinity of the Varaha Maharaja Swamy Temple in the Maravante Gram Panchayat. Road connectivity to hundreds of homes has been disrupted, and the main roads connecting Maravante to Padukone and Navunda to Badakere are submerged, severely impacting local transportation.
In the Bijuru Gram Panchayat area, the inundation extends to Garadi Road, Kalin Salu Keri, Arekallu Holetota, Shalemakki, and parts of Byndoor Town Panchayat, including Taggarse and Elajit village’s Sateri, causing substantial damage. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team, in collaboration with local authorities, is actively engaged in relief operations in this area.
During MLA Gururaj Gantihole’s visit to Kambadakone Halageri to assess relief efforts, local women voiced their frustration and anger, asserting that elected officials only appear once a year for publicity opportunities and fail to address the underlying issues. They lamented the lack of action on repeated requests to raise the road level, emphasizing that officials are only present during floods and absent at other times.
The flooding has wreaked havoc across numerous parts of the Byndoor Assembly constituency. Coastal fishermen have contributed boats and actively participated in rescue operations, and the district administration is providing support to these efforts. A relief center has been established at Bantaru Bhavana in Yadtare. “We are prepared to face the floods,” stated Byndoor MLA Gururaj Gantihole.
Concerns have been raised regarding the impact on recently sown paddy crops, which have been washed away, creating challenges for replanting. Residents are urging the Agriculture Department to provide free paddy seeds. Nagaraj Salbuda, a local resident, has appealed for the construction of shed facilities to safely store grain and crops in the flood-prone Salbuda area.
In Bijur, the NDRF team has successfully evacuated residents to safe locations, while the fire brigade is engaged in rescue operations elsewhere. The malfunctioning speedboat engine in Kambadakone Halageri has been promptly replaced. Kundapur Sub-Divisional Assistant Commissioner Rashmi explained that pre-degree students have not been granted leave due to an orange alert in the region.
