MUDHOL/BAGALKOTE: "I was chanting ‘Om Namaha Shivaya’ till I was boarded to the rescue boat, said Chandrava Solabavi, a 97-year-old elderly woman and a resident of Malali village in Mudhol who was rescued on Thursday.
The nanogenerian was just one among at least 74 families in Malali that were trapped in floods as the water from Ghataprabha River gushed into the village late night on Wednesday. Timely intervention and rescue operation by Indian Army has saved at least 250 lives in Malali village which is distanced around 20km from Mudhol town.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Chandrava revealed that, “I was feared that I would be killed in floods but I believed in Lord Shiva that he would rescue us. The god has arrived in the name of soldiers of Indian Army they are real heroes and my God. I thank them for saving my life and I will never forget their help till my last breath".
Recalling previous instances of floods, Chandrava said, “The last time I saw such flood was in 1994, when Ghataprabha River entered agricultural lands but no houses were submerged. Now, all the houses in the villages are submerged and life has been paralysed. It is really painful to see my neighbours struggle. We had never witnessed such floods,” she claimed.
Along with Chandrava, more than 240 people were caught in floods in the same village. All of them spent at least 24 hours including last night in the floods.
Jayshree G (45), resident of Malali village said, “The water level was rising every hour, we were afraid that we would get washed away in floods. More than 200 of us were trapped in the floods but some kept our confidence high. A few people despite being trapped cooked meals at night and served it to us helping us stay alive.”
Jayashree was grateful to the Indian Army for reaching out to them. Panchayat Development Officer R C Varad planned the rescue operation along with the soldiers of the Indian Army and executed it successfully.
As the entire Malali village has submerged in Ghataprabha River, more than 600 families have been shifted to nearby rehabilitation centres.