DHARWAD: An eight-year-old girl studying in Class 3, who was returning home with her mother after delivering lunch to her father in the fields, was washed away in water overflowing from a lake near Kalaghatagi in Dharwad district on Thursday. More than 24 hours later, she still remains missing.
On Friday, a team of the National Disaster Management Force (NDRF) and Fire and Emergency department personnel conducted a search along the length of the flooded lake. But rescue efforts had to be halted by 6 pm and will continue on Saturday morning.Shridevi Ganiger is the second of three children of Hanumanth and Kavita.
Helpless mom saw kid being washed away
The incident occurred at Ganjigatti village in Kalghatagi taluk late on Thursday afternoon. The mother watched helplessly as Shridevi Ganiger was swept away in the gushing water. A few villagers dived in to save the little girl, but in vain. A youth from the same village spotted her in the water but could not rescue her, villagers said. Kalaghatagi tahsildar Ashok Shiggavi said people usually walk on the road beside the Hirekeri lake even when it is overflowing.
“The lake is spread across 110 acres and is considered one of the biggest in the taluk. As soon as we received information, we reached the spot but even after 13 hours of search, there is no sign of the girl. The search will continue on Saturday,” he said. DC Nitesh Patil, Superintendent of Police Vartika Katiyar and others inspected the spot and visited the family of the victim on Friday morning. The DC took stock of the operations. Basavaraj Sherewad, a relative of the victim, said the family members used to regularly deliver lunch to those working in the fields.
Post lunchtime, the water level in the lake had risen due to rain. The current was strong and the girl could not hold on to her mother’s hand, he said. Overflowing water from the lake joins the Bedthi river which takes birth near Hubballi and goes on to join Gangavali river in Uttara Kannada.