Father & 2 sons drown in farm pond in Kolar

Ranganath K | TNN

Kolar: Three members of a family, including two children, drowned in a farm pond at Nakkanahalli village under Malur taluk of Kolar district on Sunday.

The deceased were identified as Srinivas, 45, and his sons Chetan, 15 and Rajesh, 9. The incident occurred around noon within the limits of Masthi Police.

According to local sources, Srinivas had taken his sons to swim in a Krishi honda, or farm pond, belonging to a villager identified as Byrappa, after lunch. All three reportedly drowned.

Preliminary information suggests algae formation on the sides of the polyethylene lining made the surface slippery, preventing the victims from climbing out after they slipped into the water.

Officials said drowning incidents in farm ponds have been increasing across Kolar in recent weeks. At least four people have died in similar incidents over the past 10 days. Despite repeated warnings from authorities against venturing near ponds, people continue to enter them. With temperatures rising, many villagers have been gathering near waterbodies for relief from the heat.

K Narayana Gowda, president, Kolar district Ryot Sangha, recently urged the district administration to make fencing around farm ponds mandatory. He said ponds constructed with govt financial assistance were increasingly turning into death traps in rural areas.

Earlier this month, a 15-year-old girl, Tanushree, and her cousin drowned in a farm pond at Bodenahalli village while their parents were collecting grass nearby. On May 9, two brothers reportedly drowned in Srinivasapur taluk.