Basapur villagers enter new houses

BASAPUR (NAVALGUND): "I was shattered and had to struggle a lot to shift my family after my house was marooned following floods when Bennihalla stream overflew due to downpour. It took me six hours to shift my family to safety on that fateful night." This is how Mallappa Hallad of Basapur recalls the ordeal of October 2009.
Like Mallappa, many farmers of Basapur village in Navalgund taluk have heart-rending stories of how they managed to survive.Basapur, abutting the stream, is prone to floods which is an annual phenomenon there. But the villagers are now a relived lot as the government has rehabilitated them at a place away from the stream. They were given houses on Saturday.
In October 2009, about 375 families were temporarily shifted to safety when the floods hit them. The government and Sri Dharmsthala Rural Development Institute together built about 375 houses on 35 acres for the flood-hit people of Basapur. It took about 20 months to complete the houses.
Sharing their joy with `The Times of India', Umesh Kaduokkaliga, a farmer, said: "I witnessed our stock of jowar, wheat, clothes and other materials being washed away in the floods. Being helpless to save them, I concentrated on saving my wife and two children and succeeded in it. We are happy that we are given a house away from the stream."
Hariyavva Talwar recalled how difficult was it to survive the successive floods and losing hard-earned articles. "But now, at our new homes, we will begin our lives afresh," he added.
Many joined him in the celebrations while getting the keys of their new houses. Each house measures 252 sqft and comprises a kitchen, a bedroom and a toilet. Rs 9.66 lakh has been spent to provide drinking water, and Rs 38.25 for roads and 60 solar street lights.