Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, June 16: “We lost everything — rice, clothes... now we fear even our house may collapse.” These are the words of two families from Attavar who, after floodwaters gushed into their homes, took shelter at the relief centre set up by the city corporation in the Town Hall.
Among those affected are elderly women Saraswati and Susheela, along with their families, who were forced to flee as stormwater from a nearby canal entered their house and destroyed essential supplies including rice, clothes, and other daily necessities. They first took temporary shelter at a local bhajan mandir before shifting to the municipal relief centre. They have spent the night there, accompanied by two small children.
One of the families — Susheela, her daughter Sarita, and Sarita’s two children — resided near the Shrikrishna Bhajan Mandir in Attavar. Saraswati, an elderly woman living alone in a rented house in Vaidyanathanagar, also took refuge in the relief centre.
Cracks in mud house, waterlogged interior
Susheela lives in a mud-walled house, which now has visible cracks, and the interiors have been inundated. “We came here on Saturday evening. We don’t know what condition the house is in now. We fear it may collapse. We had to flee with just the clothes we were wearing. I had hung my children’s schoolbooks on the cracked wall — I don’t know what happened to them. I even left behind my BP medicine,” she said.
“The nearby stormwater drain (rajakaluve) overflowed and flooded our house. Although water had entered during past rains, this is the first time it has reached such levels. We’ve been living there on two cents of land for over 50 years,” she added, breaking into tears.
Dream of a safe home still distant
“Every monsoon, we live in fear. If we could build a raised house, this wouldn’t happen. But that dream still hasn’t come true. If a retaining wall is built for the canal, water flow could be reduced. All we want is a safe roof over our heads,” said Sarita.
Stormwater chases Saraswati out of her rented house
Saraswati, who lives alone in a rented house in Vaidyanathanagar, was also affected after water from a nearby canal entered her home on Saturday. “I’ve been living alone and managing somehow with meals from a nearby hotel. Life was difficult in that rented house, and now even that’s gone as the stormwater has entered it,” she said emotionally.
Most take shelter in relatives' homes
“We evacuated residents from 12 houses in Attavar for safety reasons. Only two families opted to stay at the relief centre. The rest have taken shelter in the homes of their relatives,” said Ravichandra Naik, commissioner, Mangaluru City Corporation.