BENGALURU: A group of marshals on Thursday rescued a farmer who was stuck in the slush in Varthur lake for over three hours. The farmer, 43-year-old Srinivas, a native of Ballegere, had gone to the Siddapura side of the lake to cut grass and herd his cattle which had wandered into the lake. While the cattle escaped, he got caught in the slush. Attempts to free himself worsened his situation and got him in deeper into the slush.
A marshal who rescued Srinivas said: “The marshal patrolling the area was alarmed when he heard a man screaming for help, but could not see him. After a thorough search, he could see only a face popping out from the centre of the lake, screaming for help. An alert was sounded and we rushed to the spot.”
He said that even though the marshals could swim, they did not know how deep the water was and in which part of the lake. “What looks like two feet is actually four feet. And without proper equipment, the job is difficult. So we used ropes and simple tools to rescue him. He was trapped in an area of 50-metre depth and was slowly sinking. The operation took around an hour,” he said.
Srinivas was given first aid and warm clothes. He was also counselled not to venture near marshy sides of the lake because the entire lake bed has become unpredictable due to the ongoing desilting work and the monsoon rains. At present, the depth of the lake varies between two feet to over 50 feet. Even though the lake is being fenced by the Bangalore Development Authority, farmers and cattle grazers still venture into it for grass as it is not available in other parts of the city. Scheduled patrolling is carried out, but with the monsoon rains, more attention needs to be paid, the marshal said.