Karnataka floods: School submerged, students study in temple

It has been three weeks since Ramanagara district was pounded by heavy rain, flooding many areas.

A view of the government school which stands flooded due to the recent rain in Ramanagara. (Photo | Vinod Kumar T)

CHANNAPATNA(RAMANAGARA DIST) : It has been three weeks since Ramanagara district was pounded by heavy rain, flooding many areas. But students and teachers of the Government Upgraded Higher Primary School in Thattekere area of Channapatna town still cannot enter their school as four feet of water is standing on the premises, making it inaccessible.

Local authorities have not taken any action to remove water from the school, while the students, left with not other option, are attending classes at a nearby temple. Thattekere is around 60 km from Bengaluru and 11 km from Ramanagara. The school has more than 60 students from Standards one to eight, five teachers and two staff members, including cooks to prepare mid-day meals.

Lack of toilets affects teachers, girl students

The school was flooded on August 26, a week before the Gowri-Ganesha festival, after a small waterbody nearby breached. Lakshmi, who has been working as a cook at the school for the last 20 years, said all the grains kept for mid-day meals was spoilt. “We cannot even enter the school as water is around four feet,” she explained. “The school is in a low-lying area.

Even if water is removed, it keeps entering from the nearby lake,” she added. For drinking and cooking purposes, water is being sourced from local residents. The classes are being held at Beereshwara Swamy Temple at Kattemane, which is in the middle of a residential area.

Children of all classes are packed into a small space. For a few days, residents pooled in money and ration to prepare the mid-day meals. Some days later, authorities sent the foodgrains. With no place to prepare meals, Lakshmi is cooking at the house of a nearby resident.

The students are also finding it difficult as there are no toilets, while some residents have allowed teachers and girl students to use their washrooms. The Education Department has started constructing a new building for the school.

Students and teachers hope at least one classroom is ready in two months. “But the toilets are yet to be constructed at the new building. Education Department should construct toilets, otherwise many girl students will quit studies,” a resident said.