Challa kudlur (Karnataka):
The flood fury in north Karnataka has destroyed not just individual homes but has wiped out entire villages. Here's a report from a village on the border with Andhra Pradesh that has simply ceased to exist.
The temple gods of Challa Kudlur village watched silently as the waters from the nearby river engulfed all the houses. About two kilometres from the village is Karnataka's border with Andhra Pradesh.
Challa Kudlur is one of the worst affected villages in the entire state of Karnataka. There were about 3000 people living here in around 400 houses. Only a few houses are left standing. Searches continue through the mud and rubble for anything of value.
"We need a room to stay. There's no one to help. People from surrounding villages are giving us food," said Ganesh, a villager.
A week after the flood, with the water having receded, some government relief arrives in the form of clothes, sheets, vessels and buckets. Disinfectant is being scattered to prevent the outbreak of infections.
But the villagers have had enough - and it is time to abandon the village for good. This is not the first flood though it is the worst.
"We want to leave this place and go elsewhere with our children. We have had enough. We are tired of getting submerged," said Kalappa, another villager.
For now, the entire population is living under the sky in these temporary shelters.
Just as there is very little left for the villagers in Challa Kudlur itself. It looks as if the story of the village is now over.
The temple gods of Challa Kudlur village watched silently as the waters from the nearby river engulfed all the houses. About two kilometres from the village is Karnataka's border with Andhra Pradesh.
Challa Kudlur is one of the worst affected villages in the entire state of Karnataka. There were about 3000 people living here in around 400 houses. Only a few houses are left standing. Searches continue through the mud and rubble for anything of value.
"We need a room to stay. There's no one to help. People from surrounding villages are giving us food," said Ganesh, a villager.
A week after the flood, with the water having receded, some government relief arrives in the form of clothes, sheets, vessels and buckets. Disinfectant is being scattered to prevent the outbreak of infections.
But the villagers have had enough - and it is time to abandon the village for good. This is not the first flood though it is the worst.
"We want to leave this place and go elsewhere with our children. We have had enough. We are tired of getting submerged," said Kalappa, another villager.
For now, the entire population is living under the sky in these temporary shelters.
Just as there is very little left for the villagers in Challa Kudlur itself. It looks as if the story of the village is now over.
